Over the last month, many of you (anyone in earshot of my daughters) have heard that the Osterbrocks have a new dog: Dottie. This precious puppy exudes joy in our household, most of the time. The difficulty (correction) Dottie experiences come from a lack of knowledge—not knowing when or where to go to the bathroom, not knowing what is intended as a chew-toy, not knowing when to stay asleep. 

We observe in Scripture, knowledge puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1); however, Paul here distinguishes between a worldly, arrogant, self-serving knowledge and a spiritual knowledge based in devotion to God. Believers are called to pursue such knowledge always. We are not trained like dogs to simply follow commands—we are not mere animals. For us, knowledge is a means of enjoying the truth of a life now in union with Christ—a knowledge that enters our soul with pleasantness and joy (Prov. 2:10; 3:13). Spiritual knowledge is a gift for us that we may exercise all the ways Christ actually satisfies His people (1 Cor. 2:6–16).  

When we are truly obedient, when we serve rightly, when we love wholeheartedly, it is not out of fear and manipulation but out of fruitful knowledge (Col. 1:10). We have learned who our God is and found sincere enjoyment in Him. From the goodness of what we know Him to be, we worship Him through actions that speak of His nature (Col. 3:10).

I don’t want a dog to worship me—I’m certainly not deserving of that! However, the more she learns what pleases me, the more she is prone to obey. Dogs are far more likely to want to please their owners. Even so, we as God’s image-bearers are not simply trying to please our Maker but gifted to enjoy Him. He is so good; as we grow to know Him more we will find His truths all the more appealing, obedience all the more satisfying, and worship of Him all the more contagious. The joy of Christ will exude not only our households, but our church as well—and our Father will delight all the more in His children.

Pastor Chris