Panning for Gold

• Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

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I LOVE this verse...

There is a BIG difference in the way we educate ourselves and/or seek knowledge. For example, if we base our education (I'm speaking about spiritual education here) on our thoughts and feelings (which are sinful to begin with), we end up with finite understanding, finite resources and finite results. When we base our education of the things of God...and ground ourselves in His amazing knowledge, power and love, we end up with INFINITE understanding, INFINITE resources and INFINITE results!

To borrow a quote from Ravi Zacharias, when our education is based outside of Christ and a "fear of the Lord" (Proverbs 1:7) "...we have educated ourselves into moronity." The fact is, apart from the Bible, our efforts in spiritual improvement result in chaos, confusion...and ultimately spiritual moronity.

Imagine a pioneer in Northern California panning for gold; he scoops out a bucket of soil from the riverbed and places into in his sieve. He shakes the sieve back and forth until nothing is left except the pieces are too large to pass through the holes.

When we seek knowledge outside of the Bible, our spiritual sieve will get clogged with all sorts of junk and we won't be able the see the truth.

When we seek knowledge with the Bible as our sieve, all that is worthless will pass through, and only the nuggets of God's Word will remain.

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