Graduation?
It’s the season of graduation ceremonies up here on Rocky Top. People are becoming doctors, dentists, lawyers, teachers, high school graduates and even preschool graduates.
Last week I watched the cutest five year old walk down a long aisle wearing a red cap and gown. The tassel hung to one side of his adorable face and his smile of accomplishment shone for everyone to see. As this boy’s Nonna, I beamed with pride and waved as he passed me by.
The head of the preschool boasted about the graduates’ many accomplishments: they knew numbers, the alphabet and various others bits of knowledge. The teachers had observed their ability to use this knowledge and now they were ready to be presented as graduates!
A few days after this momentous occasion, I began to question if I had graduated. Yes, I hold a high school diploma and even a Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University. My teachers and professors observed my proficiency in many different subject matters for me to obtain those diplomas.
But am I graduate of God’s word? A teacher knows his pupil knows the material when the pupil doesn’t just regurgitate knowledge but when he sees the pupil utilize the information in real life.
I can memorize thousands of verses, attend every Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, BSF, Precept Bible study, and go to Sunday School or small group every week yet if I do not use the knowledge of God’s word, it’s just information.
“Information doesn’t bring transformation,” I heard a preacher say (Jay Smith). I must realize that God’s word is meant to be experienced and allowed to be poured out of my life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
If I have memorized the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) but they are not evident in my life, it is time to question my walk with Christ.
A tree will be known by its fruit.
Am I kind even when others are not?
Is love evident in my life even towards those who are unlovable?
“Words and ideology on a page are cheap. Grace and incarnating the love of Christ isn’t.” (Voskamp).
When my husband is thousands of miles away sharing the Gospel with those who have never heard, does peace reign in my life when the basement pipes leak again?
Am I patient when I have been put on hold for thirty minutes?
Lord, I don’t just want to be filled with head knowledge. I want to be filled with YOU!
A true leader/a graduate displays knowledge in action……..kindness, peace, love, joy, and thankfulness. A graduate of the Word of God displays Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit!
It is better to memorize one verse and live it out than to continue to fill my head with knowledge but show no fruit in my life.
Lord, may I always have a teachable spirit and always be a graduate of your Word!
