There is a lot of emphasis on knowledge these days.  Don't get me wrong, education is important and education in theology is good to a point.  The "acid test" of whether or not someone is of God is their actions.  Jesus' actions were so miraculous and overwhelmingly consistent with God's Word that any reservations about whether He was of God should have been set aside.  But here, in Mark 7:13, the Pharisees, and some of the teachers of the law had exalted their own tradition above God's Word, thereby making the Word of God of no effect in their own lives.  Just like today, theologians are sometimes the last to accept a move of God if it violates their traditional beliefs but,"The common people heard him gladly." (Mark 12:37)

In spiritual matters, a person can educate himself in theology to the degree that is does more harm than good. A theological argument often distracts from the more important issue, a person's heart.

We should learn all we can, but we must make our knowledge a servant to love.  "The greatest of these is love." (1Cor. 13:13)

Don't let your quest for knowledge lead you away from knowing God today.  What you know is not as important as who you know!  Your most important goal in life must be to love God and to know Him personally and intimately.

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