The Only Score That Counts

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments." 1 John 2:3 (ESV)

Ever seen that show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Millions of Americans once watched grown adults sweat through questions written for a fifth grader, and if they got one wrong, they had to look into the camera and say, "I am not smarter than a fifth grader." It feels embarrassing, but it shouldn't, because the truth is, of everything that can be known in this world, the average person knows less than a ten-millionth of one percent of it. If all human knowledge were the ocean, the smartest person alive would only be carrying around a small bucket.

That should humble you, but it shouldn't crush you. The most important thing about your life is never how much you know. It's Who you know. You can spend years collecting the things people brag about most, like degrees, titles, and bank account balances. But God says something different through the prophet Jeremiah, "let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD," (Jer. 9:24, ESV).

John picks up that same thread in 1 John 2:3, "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments." The word "know" here means more than facts. It means knowing with your senses, personally, not just intellectually. God already knows you completely. The only question left is whether you know Him back.

You don't prove that by quoting verses or talking about spiritual things. John says obedience is the proof, not the entrance requirement. You don't keep His commandments to start knowing God. You keep them because you already do.

Tonight, before you check one more notification on your phone or finish that TV show, ask yourself what you actually know for certain. Then let that question lead you straight to the only Person worth knowing completely.

Prayer: Father, I've spent so much energy and time knowing things that don’t truly satisfy or save anyone. Today I want to know You, not just know about You. Let that knowing show up in how I live. In Jesus' name, amen.