You Don't Know What You Don't Know

Ron Wood
Ron Wood

There was a day when we had it all figured out.

"Atoms have three parts: proton, neutron, and electron."

Nope -- quantum physics proved that wrong.

"You can trust your government."

Yeah, then Richard Nixon resigned.

"Men are the head and wives must submit."

Hey, how's that been working out for ya? Besides being harsh or harmful, there were (and still are) huge mistakes in the way this doctrine was erroneously applied.

Now that I'm older and wiser (with aches and pains to prove it) I realize how ignorant I was.

One of the most profound things I've heard the Lord say to me, "You don't know what you don't know ... and you'll never know unless I show you."

Hearing this word humbled me.

Get real! Have you ever been wrong? I remember my Cherokee grandmother, as we watched the moon landing on television, angrily declare, "They're making this up!"

She died at age 96 never believing that men had walked on the moon.

There was a time when new believers in Jesus were mocked if they thought they could know for sure that they were saved.

Scoffers didn't believe them. My relatives were early converts to Christ before they were called Methodists.

John Wesley's ministry brought people into a "know-so" salvation experience.

Sometimes we may take a stand, being certain we're right, only to find out later we were wrong. Ever done that?

It takes a big person with integrity to admit they were wrong. Hey, being mistaken isn't a sin ... it's called being human!

No matter how much we learn, we only can know in part. There is always more truth so we should be open to re-examining our beliefs. Wisdom acts with confidence, but it's willing to dig deeper over time.

Being teachable, able to reason further, desiring to discover more -- this should be the case for any who claim to be Christians.

Yes, we have turned away from ignorance and idolatry to follow the true and living God by putting our faith in the Lord Jesus, but, no, we don't know it all!

"Knowledge puffs up but love builds up."

Even educated people can have cold, proud hearts. It is sad when anyone decides that they alone have the complete truth. To them I say, "Arrogance has deceived your heart."

I promise you, just when you think you've got God or this universe all figured out, He'll surprise you!

You can't build a box big enough to contain God. You can't outsmart the Creator. No one is wiser than the Lord.

He will even offend your mind (with something beyond comprehension) in order to reveal your heart (to disclose whether it's full of stubbornness, rebellion, or pride).

The leaven of arrogance can infect otherwise intelligent people.

I know; it happened to me.

It makes a person's heart dull of hearing and their mind closed to seeing the truth.

It's hard to pour water into a cup that's already full. Let's dare to be thirsty to know more.

RON WOOD IS A WRITER AND MINISTER. HE AND HIS WIFE LIVE IN N.W. ARKANSAS CLOSE TO THEIR SIX GRANDCHILDREN. HE WORKS WITH EMT IN PRAIRIE GROVE AND PASTORS CENTERPOINT BAPTIST CHURCH IN COLCORD, OKLA., JUST WEST OF GENTRY. EMAIL: [email protected]

Editorial on 10/07/2015