The Need To Edify | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

During this morning's commute to work, my mind pondered the phrase "knowledge puffeth up," which comes from the latter portion of 1 Corinthians 8:1--"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth."  I guess what triggered this thought was an earlier reminder from a friend of how we can sometimes be rather difficult to deal with when we become knowledgeable. Oddly enough, I remember my mother referring to those kind of people as "know-it-alls" because their awareness of information exuded pride.

We must be careful in both our pursuit and sharing of knowledge that we do not allow ourselves to become inflated by it, thereby creating a false sense of elevation above others. You know, when people sense pride in operation, its stench creates for them a displeasing experience--even in our sharing of the Gospel of the good news of the Kingdom. However, charity edifies. In other words, love builds up and strengthens. Love is so important to our Kingdom lifestyle that it is central to our exercising of the nine spiritual gifts outlined in 1 Corinthians 12.

Therefore, let's not just pursue knowledge, but let us be committed to building up and strengthening others with the knowledge we've gained. It's invaluable for us as Kingdom citizens to possess a wealth of information and be influenced by the spirits of pride and arrogance. Even though the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of GOD unto salvation, our attitudes will cause others--the save and unsaved alike--to despise (or ignore) what we know, no matter how much it will be a blessing to them. I'll always remember something Bishop Fred A. Caldwell, Sr. would say, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." My suggestion: we all should take a long, hard look at ourselves and evaluate our motives. Do we minister (or "meet the need") in order to show others how much we care or to show how much we know?