What Knowledge Is For

 

Still Brewing 

Philippians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:2, Hebrews 10:14, Colossians 3:10, 2 Peter 3:18

☕ Justified in CHRIST and continually being sanctified - we are still brewing! ☕

Still Brewing: Coffee #31

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Hello, friends! Today’s blog is longer than I usually write. I am sharing a couple notes from my study in 1 Corinthians chapter two, as well as sharing a more vulnerable journal-like entry. 

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
1 Corinthians 2:2-5

→ It is so encouraging that even Paul, so bold and zealous in his faith, had fear and weakness and was not confident in his words. It is a reminder that it is GOD’s power, not our own. I am not great with spoken words, so when I share the gospel, I always think I blew it. But it is not in the wisdom of man, rather in the power of GOD.

"Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."
1 Corinthians 2:6-7

→ Yet, even though we rest in the power of GOD, we seek to grow in our wisdom of HIM! By continually seeking HIS Word through prayer, worship, reading, and fellowship, we grow in our walk with CHRIST and in our wisdom of HIM.

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I really struggle with the fact that I solely rely on my notes for my knowledge. I feel so inadequate that though I have read these things many times, dove into theological topics, read the Bible in its entirety many times, read Christian books, and all the other things to help me have more knowledge of GOD to love HIM more, I can’t remember. I can’t join people in conversations. If I have my notes in front of me, I can share what is there. But apart from my wide open Bible, or flipping through my notes trying to remember something that spoke to me, I cannot participate in the conversations that I absolutely love listening to.

In a prideful way, it makes me feel so dumb. It makes me believe that others must think that I don’t seek to learn more about JESUS on my own, because I rarely contribute in deeper Scriptural conversations. So many times, others mention something from Scripture that I completely can’t remember. It makes me feel like such a weak Christian. The thing I love most in this life is the very thing I can’t remember without paper and pen (or a phone and keyboard).

Even if others cannot see my knowledge, what is it supposed to accomplish? It is supposed to make me love JESUS more. And though I may read parts of Scripture that feel like I have never read them before, it all comes back to the fact that I crave to grow deeper and love JESUS more.

The brain I was given definitely checks my pride. It does not matter whether I remember knowledge. What matters is that I rest in CHRIST’s sacrifice and resurrection.

And you know what, there is always a way to find joy in everything. I get to continually study different theological topics and HIS Word over and over with a mindset that needs to continually rely on HIM and not my own knowledge. It will keep me from becoming conceited. 

"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Any thorns in our flesh are supposed to show us we have great weakness, but CHRIST has great power. Our weakness displays the perfection of JESUS all the more!

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Let us encourage one another to rest solely in the power of GOD while we seek to gain more of HIS wisdom as we love CHRIST more!

LORD willing, see you all for our next cup of coffee together! 

- Sabina