Jacob Orr

“His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3 

I’ve been meditating on this verse a lot recently. It speaks of receiving life and godliness through the knowledge of Christ. Later on in the passage it refers to these as great and precious promises. Many of us are after a good life. Still others are pursuing what it means to be godly. I’ve decided I’m after the knowledge of Jesus and through pursuing this knowledge to a greater degree I will attain along with it life and godliness. 

I remember as a middle schooler a large poster that hung on the wall of my classroom. It read “Knowledge is power.” I would often try to ponder the meaning of that adage as a student and ponder it still. 

I used to believe that having knowledge meant that when educated I would be in complete control of my life. I could get the job I want. Make the money I want, and life the life I want. I know now that knowledge although powerful, is not about control. True knowledge comes from the Son of God and that knowledge leads to surrender rather than control. 

When I learn to surrender all things to the lordship of Christ, I am becoming more powerful than I could be on my own. I have the power to do good. I have the power to be selfless. I have power to love – something 2 Peter refers to as sharing in the divine nature – in other words, behaving the way God behaves. 

As our children head into a new school year, knowledge should be their goal. Our dining room table is currently covered in textbooks of various subjects, notebooks, binders and other school supplies. They’ll be learning language arts, math, science, history, and other curriculum in the coming months. Every day is a new lesson that will accumulate into a year of new knowledge and experience. 

But beyond math and science, what are we working to instill in our children? What kind of wisdom are we imparting to our kids? Is it godly wisdom? Is it knowledge that leads to life and godliness? 

If we as the parents are pursuing Christ and the knowledge of salvation, we will be setting the stage for our children to learn the same. 

So, how are you seeking to grow in the knowledge of God? When is the last time you dove deep into your Bible? When was the last time an ancient truth resounded fresh to your ears? 

I was recently selected by a panelist as one of the top 40 Christian Parenting blogs. I’m honored by the accolade but don’t really know how I got on this list. I often wonder if I have anything worthwhile to share. I’m just a dad and pastor who like many of you readers can grow weary of seeking the Lord in the Scriptures. Studying becomes tiresome and mundane. I’m not all that desperate to pull out relevant truth from its pages. 

Maybe your time in the Word has gone stale. Maybe you’ve not even tried studying the Bible because you believe it is too hard to understand. But the Bible is full of truth for today. It is full of wisdom for both us and our children.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

I encourage you to get on the Word daily. Learn to study the Bible. Don’t miss out on the great and precious promises of life and godliness because of the excuses that have held you back up to this point. 

Our church is spending the next year going through the book of John together. That is a good place to start. The life and ministry of Jesus is always a good place to begin. 

You don’t have to be a professional minister or blogger like me to want to study God’s Word. Your profession or formal education does not dictate how much Christlike knowledge you have. And no one can do the learning for you. It is a journey we each take on our own. But we can encourage one another on our way. We can guide our children and others to ultimate Truth. 

I pray this school year will be a time if growth for our kids both academically and spiritually. I pray for us as parents as well, that we too never stop growing in our knowledge of Jesus. I pray we obtain these great and precious promises.