There are few things that we love more in the information age than being well-informed, or at least believing we are well-informed. In theory, the advent of the internet and a plethora of digital devices have put a veritable treasure trove of information at our fingertips, all the time. The ubiquity of our access and our proclivity to act upon it has forced us to create new words to describe the action. If we don’t know, but we need or want to know, we just “Google” it.
While Google is not the only engine driving our information addiction, it is the most popular. According to recent data, which I just Googled, Google owns close to 95% of the internet search game. Again, according to information I found on Google, close to 100,000 searches are conducted per second and a whopping 8.5 billion queries are made per day. The average person conducts 6 or 7 searches per day. Honestly, that number seems really low. I’ve conducted 6 to 7 Google searches while writing this piece. Whatever the case, it is clear that modern humanity loves to be in the know. One must wonder, however, how much good knowing all of that information does for us?
The real value in knowing is found when it positively impacts our doing.
Clearly, there are numerous instances in which being able to access and know certain pieces of information is invaluable. For instance, my son recently replaced the engine in his car. Much of the information necessary for that particular project came via the experience and education of the engineer who helped him (Thanks again, Josh!). But some of the information came through Google searches and YouTube videos. On the two days I assisted, I watched as JJ and Josh jumped on the internet, watched a couple videos, then replicated what they had learned online in the real-world. It brings to light an important principle: The real value in knowing is found when it positively impacts our doing.
What determines whether we are wise or morons is what we do with what we hear and know.
This is a principle found throughout the Bible. It can be found in the words of Jesus. In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus tells the parable of the wise and the foolish builder. In the story, both builders hear/know the same information. What differentiates the outcomes each experiences is whether or not they acted upon the information. Matthew 7:24 reads, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man…” On the other end of the spectrum, Matthew 7:26 reads, “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man…” The word translated foolish in verse 26 is moro, which is where we get the word moron. So, what determines whether we are wise or morons is what we do with what we hear and know. We also find this principle in the book of James. James 1:22 reads, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James goes on to reveal that blessing comes, not through simply hearing the truth (though that is an essential starting point), but through acting upon what is heard.
Francis Bacon is quoted as saying, “Knowledge is power.” I would not argue against the validity of this statement, but I do believe the statement is incomplete. More accurately, knowledge is potential. Knowledge only truly becomes powerful when we choose to act upon what we know. If your car is broken down and you Google ways to fix it, that information only becomes effective when you act upon it. If you search God’s Word for ways to live a blessed, purpose filled life, the life for which God created you, it only has impact on your experience when you put it into practice. In the end, it isn’t what we know that makes a difference in our lives. It’s what we do in response.
