Doing something with critical information
How much information do you receive every day? If you are anything like me, it is a lot. Much of it is kind of incidental; we learn things from speaking with people and going about our day. We absorb information from social media and the news; far more information than people of most previous generations would have ever received. And if you are a student, you have a large amount of material to learn for your course as well.
Most of this information won’t change your life. The news might give you some topics to discuss with friends and social media might give tell what your friends are having for lunch. The material you are studying might help you pass an exam but usually doesn’t impact how you live.
Yet there are pieces of information we can receive that change everything. If a person runs into your office screaming the word “fire”, you will need to do something about that. You cannot, and should not, ignore it. Some information is so urgent you need to act immediately.
At the start of 2 Kings 8 we see the king of Israel, likely king Jehoram, speaking to Gehazi the servant of Elisha. Gehazi is telling the king about the miracles God did through Elisha, notably the raising of a child from the dead. This probably seemed fanciful to the king, yet the woman and her son walked into the room while Gehazi was talking. Here was living, walking proof of a God who could raise the dead! The king helped the woman with her request, but history tells us that he remained apart from the true God and didn’t come to faith. He was interested in the information, but it didn’t change his life.
I grew up in a Christian home, went to church twice every Sunday, and attended a Christian school. I had lots of information. I even had awards at high school for getting the highest marks in subjects like church history! Yet, at that time, it didn’t change my life. It was information, on a level with knowing mathematical concepts or how to write an essay. When God changed my heart to see how wonderful Jesus truly was, everything changed. I now wanted to serve Jesus and know more information about Him. Once I knew that this information about the God who loved me and saved me was real and way more important than anything else, I had to act on that.
If you say you believe in a God who raises the dead, but it doesn’t change your life, you don’t really believe it at all.
If you know all kinds of information about God and the Bible, yet you run towards sin and show little interest in seeking God and growing in your faith, you need to repent now. Entry into heaven is not based on a knowledge test about the Bible but is based on trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
This also impacts us week by week as we listen to sermons. We cannot just listen and leave with a little more information. Hearing from the true God about His world and what He is like and what He wants for us matters. We need to do something with it. Ask yourself, or others at church, this question: ‘what are you going to do with what you heard in the sermon today?’ We want to be do-ers, not just hearers of the Word.
Don’t be like the king of Israel in 2 Kings 8 who heard and didn’t change. Let’s be those who hear and change with joy to be more like our true King.