Sunday, May 6, 2012

It's not what you DON'T know, it's what you KNOW that counts



I'm a "know not."

Yep. I just confessed my ignorance (something an overachieving, approval and success-driven only child NEVER does). Instead of feeling bad about it, I feel free. The older—let's call it spiritually mature—I get, the more I don't know about God, His ways, His plans, life in general, even myself, than what I do know. Can you relate?

I don't know why good things come to some and bad things come to others.
I don't know why it seems that some prayers are answered and others are ignored. 

Sure, I could lay out all kinds of doctrinal explanations. Nice, trite, cliched platitudes that offer plausible reasons for the things we endure during our time on the Big Blue Marble.


We've all heard them, maybe latched on to them in times of trouble because they offer a modicum of comfort. But those explanations don't satisfy. The questions remain, and the honest answer, more often than not, is "I don't know."

I've often heard my husband counsel people with these words: "It's
not what you don't know that matters, it's what you do know."

In high-pressure, scary situations; in the valleys and mountains and shadows of life, it's easy to get so caught up in all the don't-knows that we forget what we do know. But when the rubber hits the road, so to speak, what we do know is all that really counts.

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Cor 2:2 NKJV

Whatever you are facing, resist the urge to say, "But I don't know how this will turn out." Or, "I don't know what to do." Instead, ask yourself, "What do I know?" That's a proactive question. It's where you'll find the root of your faith, and from that root, no matter how small or weak it seems to be, life and hope and victory can grow.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5 NKJV

That, my friends, is NOT a mere platitude. It's truth, and it's more than enough to go forward on, whether you are on top of the mountain, in the valley of the shadow of death, or somewhere in between. 

And as a former youth leader, here is your "visual aid" for this devotional. After you get past Keanu Reeves' rather surprising display of biceps, listen to the script...









 


 


 


 






What's your "root"? 

Hint: What do you KNOW THAT YOU KNOW?






About   the Author: Niki writes fiction, nonfiction, blog posts, newspaper articles, grocery lists,
and Facebook status  updates. She can be found at her own blog, In Truer Ink, in addition to posting here. She was a 2009 finalist in the Faith, Hope, and Love "Touched by Love"
contest.

8 comments:

  1. The root is alive when the shoot looks dead, and life will blossom fully again, but without the renewal of sun, water and nutrients the root will eventually die out too.

    That's what I know. Feed your faith. Without all three components above the plant will die. Just like our faith -a combination of three factors, the relationship with God (prayer and worship and praise) the relationship with others (fellowship and accountability) and the personal time of devotion and study.

    Thanks Niki.
    You're so right. It all comes down to just holding on despite the stuff coming at us. They are eventually going to blow on by.

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  2. Excellent, Debra. You hit the nail on the head.
    For me it often comes down to knowing that no matter what, God loves me more than I love my own life, or my kids, or anything else. His love will get me through.

    I'm still contemplating getting a small tattoo... I think it will read "This too shall pass." Ironic, and true.

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  3. I often forget what I know and get caught in the whirlpool of what I don't know. It's an ugly, vicious cycle. I think when that happens, reminding myself, "what do I know?" will be a really great trigger to break the cycle and refocus my thoughts.

    Wonderful, Niki.

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  4. Thanks, Suzie! It helps me more often than I like to admit. That and "who said that?" in response to those random thoughts that fly around in my head.

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  5. Great devotional, Nikki.

    What do I know? I know that I'm just a small part of the big picture and that every thing I do affects those around me and so on in a ripple effect.

    My pastor's message today was similar although it spoke of the words that come out of our mouthes. How one small sentence can affect the mood and demeanor of those around you. In Numbers 13:26 the Israelites stood across from the promised land and listened to the 10 spies who came back with negative reports about the size of men on the other side and how they'd never take possession of the land because they were so small. They got many of the Israelites grumbling and complaining - even to the point of rebellion - all because of their words. Yet if the people had listened to the postive words of Caleb, they would have been shored up with courage instead of washed down by fear.

    You're right it's not only what you know, but what you do with that knowledge. Faith is the answer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great devotional, Nikki.

    What do I know? I know that I'm just a small part of the big picture and that every thing I do affects those around me and so on in a ripple effect.

    My pastor's message today was similar although it spoke of the words that come out of our mouthes. How one small sentence can affect the mood and demeanor of those around you. In Numbers 13:26 the Israelites stood across from the promised land and listened to the 10 spies who came back with negative reports about the size of men on the other side and how they'd never take possession of the land because they were so small. They got many of the Israelites grumbling and complaining - even to the point of rebellion - all because of their words. Yet if the people had listened to the postive words of Caleb, they would have been shored up with courage instead of washed down by fear.

    You're right it's not only what you know, but what you do with that knowledge. Faith is the answer.

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  7. Anita, that's one of the my favorite stories in the OT. The majority almost always runs toward the negative, and the positive voices are the minority. As believers, we need to make sure we are on the Joshua/Caleb side of things!

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  8. well, i DO know that the older i get, the smarter my mom is. i DO know that i DONT know everything. i DO know that God have my best interests in mind and that sometimes it means i have to endure a little (sometimes a lot) of pain to learn a lesson. not always, mind you - but i do seem to remember the painful pricks and lessons better than the ones where no pain was involved.
    thanks for this devotional. God sent.

    ReplyDelete

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