We, as people, often get dragged off the main road and out into the weeds- metaphorically speaking. People within the body of Christ are subject to the same tendencies. We could get lost in the studies and discussions of religious practices, histories, and the possibilities of the future. These things, while interesting, are smoke and mirrors that distract us from the basic, life giving truth that is the basis of our faith- love for God and one another. People who devote themselves to the other things may indeed have wonderful intentions, they may even be confident in the belief that they are right, but when it comes down to it neither of those things matter if they are neglecting the most important commands and either drawing others into the weeds with them or driving them away from faith and God completely because they come across too strongly as fanatics. If we are not very careful we can ourselves turn away from our purpose to spend our time in meaningless discussions over things that have nothing whatsoever to do with salvation or righteousness. If we keep our focus on learning and applying the things that have eternal significance then I imagine we won’t have much time to devote to the rest!
*Just for clarification, I do not understand this to say that the pursuit of knowledge is inherently bad. I love learning and believe that much of what people have discovered is both fascinating and helpful in understanding some of what we read in the Bible. But it has a place and that place is far beneath that of worshiping God and sharing His love with others through our words and actions. We cannot let the pursuit of knowledge, even religious knowledge, usurp the throne of God in our hearts. All of the knowledge in the world is useless if it has no application.
In the Living Word 