Approved

Here’s The Word;

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Often times when we read Scripture, we focus on the big words: Love, forgiveness, patience, suffering and things that identify with our current circumstances. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s a testament to just how loving Our God is that His word meets us as intimately in desperation as it does in rejoicing. However, there are other words that can pass us by quickly and are sometimes hardly ever noticed at all, until we study. The Bible doesn’t direct us to “study to show ourselves intelligent”. It’s WAY more involved than that.

In my line of work, I’ve met some pretty intelligent people. Not the kinds that go around waving flags about the letters associated with their titles (although they do have them). I mean the kinds that are impressive in the way that they can see a complex problem laid out and step through it almost effortlessly to a comprehensively clear solution, and for the most part, these folks have been a joy to work with.

Now on the other hand, have you ever met a smart person who’s a total jerk? Of course, it doesn’t take an intelligence to be a jerk, but when you come across it, it’s a little more painful. They seem to have a knack for weighing on you, being condescending to you for being less intelligent.
There’s a saying “knowledge is power.” I believe that to be 100% accurate. There’s another saying – “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Also, undeniably true. This is not something only expressed in extremes: You don’t have to be all-knowing to be belittling to people, and it may not be for the purpose of making them feel bad. Some people have deep inferiority and for them, they're just trying to either make themselves feel better or just not as bad. But to whatever degree you assume to be smarter than the next person, and you use that leverage to treat them as less, it's wrong, no matter the situation.
In this post, we’re talking about the caution we should exercise when knowledge begins to fuel a smart attitude and makes us not just less approachable, but less Christlike.

The word of the day is "intreat". This is one of those quickly overlooked words used sparsely in the Bible. But I believe it addresses the common tendency to exalt ourselves when we’ve become smarter about things.

Here’s The Word:

James 3:13 – 18 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

1 Corinthians 8:1(b) we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

As we all are becoming Christlike, we see certain aspects of our character that are easily adjusted, and others that take a more concerted effort. No one likes to deal with that smart person who reeks of arrogance, but that’s an extreme view. It’s not only about trying to be less of a jerk. It’s about being pleasantly approachable. Even if the answer is a hard truth, It’s better received from someone who you feel genuinely cares about you over someone who you feel is judging you as you walk away. We can read and memorize Scripture all day long, but I think that how we deal with people who were once in the same places we were is one of many good gauges to help us realize the meaning of “approved”.


In Him,
Cros