Thursday; July 25

When we look back at the American Experiment, I think we tend to take too many things for granted. We have seen our democratic republic flourish over the years, but it was still an uncertainty when it began. I find it interesting to go back and listen to the wisdom of the founding fathers. The other day I came across a quote from John Adams who is purported to have said, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge of the people.”. As I think about this observation a couple of things come to mind. First is the need for a general education and the second is the importance of civics. Adams seems to teach us that we must have a basic knowledge of how the world works – and we must understand how our government should (and does) function. We can wander through our world fat, dumb and happy – but that ignorance isn’t going to last too long before we will either become lost or misled.

As I thought about this, I saw a parallel in religion. No, there is no way that we can think on the same terms as God, but a basic understanding of what we should believe and how we should act not only positively impacts our lives, it also enhances our collective faith. Interestingly, this principle seemed to have been adopted by the Christians in Berea because Luke observed, “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11). I am sure these people had faith, but they also educated themselves on the principles upon which their faith was based.

Let’s develop a knowledge of the principles of Scripture because when we do we’ll build a foundation upon which our faith can be built. In essence, let’s trust God and learn as much as we can about His ways.

Think About It!

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