Day 250 - Experiential Knowledge

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"Those who are caught in victim thinking see worshiping God as a religious duty. This kind of religion paints God as a being that demands perfection through our own efforts. Striving is the only way to ever please this God, since we just can’t seem to “be” enough in our own eyes to ever come up to His standards."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 80.

I wanted to further debunk the notion that religious duty is something that we as Christians need to be concerned with. So, I did what any good Bible student would do, I Googled Religious duty. 

I was shocked at what I found. Article after article that could easily be read that our relationship with God is up to our ability to keep a growing list of religious duties in life. Am I really that out out of touch with the mainstream thinking in Christian circles? Have I gotten wrong this free gift of Jesus so completely that I'm mistaking what we as victors are called to do with our lives?

I know what scholars, more studied than me would say. That it is both and. But, is it really? Do the works that come with religious duties really come as an obligation to relationship with this God? I just don't see that as panning out in how I understand the Bible. 

My soul hates the words religious duties. This has a spin of obligation that, frankly, kills my faith. If it is up to me to be something that makes relationship with a perfect God possible, I'm doomed from the get go. If that puts me at odds with Biblical scholars, so be it. 

I'm in no way advocating a "do what you want" kind of approach to growing in our faith. Just like any discipline we want to have more success in in our lives, moving from where we are today to where we want to be takes concerted effort. I just don't think that fact applies to something as precious and intimate as a relationship with God. 

Sure, being more focused on my Church attendance, being more diligent in my prayer life, being more intentional about my Bible reading and being more disciplined in how I live out my life, all pay big dividends when it comes to getting to know this God. My hair stands on end when I see anyone connecting these, or any other things, to how well we can be in relation to the God that loves us. 

Is that how love works in your worldly relationships? Is your love for your spouse growing because you read more books on how to love your spouse? Is your love for your children having impact because you are devoted to studying parenting every second of your day? If you are anything like me, your love and devotion happens as life comes at you. Sure there are those times when a good book or focused effort helps us move forward. What has made my love and devotion for those around me grow has been being present and going through life together in ways that make relationship something we experience in unity.

Take a look at a Bible verse with me now.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NKJV)

The word "realized" in today's reading is a really important one for those of us looking to live the victor's life. It comes from a Greek word that is also translated as "to know." In Greek, there are several words for the English word "know". Each word gives a flavor of what it means when we know something, that is missing in our native language.

The people that Peter and John were standing before knew that they had been with Jesus. It was a knowledge that came from an experience. It wasn't simply a piece of information that they had. It was information backed up with an experience that made their knowledge take on a meaning greater than just data.

That's what I believe we need when it comes to a real relationship with Christ. We need to know Him. Not just know him by how much we learn about Him. We need to experience who this God is in our lives. That experience comes as we do life together more so than just reading or studying about Him.

It is the same with any important relationship in our lives. Sure, having information about a person makes it easier to get to know them. However, it is when we have experienced that person in the good times and in the bad that a bond is formed that makes the power of relationship something real in our lives. I think that how it is suppose to be with God as well.

I don't for a minute believe that we are going to get to Heaven and be judged for how much we read and understood our Bibles. I can't believe that God will look down on me for missing out on developing my discipline for prayer. I have no doubt that God couldn't give a rip about how good I was at gaining knowledge about Him in this life. I believe we will be judged for how fully we allowed relationship with God, be the driving force in our efforts to live out this life as the victors He has called us to be. 

Striving to please God is such a waste of time if knowledge is all we are after. Being intentional about experiencing life with this God is the only way victim thinking can be avoided as we live out this life. That's all God is after in our lives. He isn't after us to be perfect - He knows we just can't on our own. He wants to be with us. He wants us to want Him like He wants us in His life. He wants connection with us to be what forms the foundations for change in our lives and in the lives of those around us. That can't happen is we are working to gain knowledge for knowledge sake.

As you face your day today, know this - God loves you. He has spoken into your life all you need to be the agent for change in your world. Don't strive to do anything in your life except to relate to this God that made you. Experience Him... Know Him and let that experiential knowledge be all it needs to be to live out your victor status today.