More Than Knowing

There is a connect between knowing and doing, and the Holy Spirit will equip us in order to act on what we know in the Lord. James addresses this concept in the 1st chapter of the book of James, which says:
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

When we look into the Word, we gain insight into who God is and who we are in Him.  With that knowledge in our hearts and minds, we can move according to His direction.  Because we know Him and know who we are, we can confidently step out in faith in order to obey what He has directed us to do in Scripture.  We honor God through walking in compassion, in peace, in forgiveness, demonstrating that we have victory over sin and supernatural strength in the Lord.

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While we don't work for our salvation, in a sense, our salvation works through us. The presence of Jesus produces fruit as we abide in Him, as He taught us in John 15. James chapter 2 states:
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Through her work as a talk-show host on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, as well as the TODAY Show, Kathie Lee Gifford has built a solid reputation.  And, she is a professing believer in Jesus Christ. Last night in theatres across America, her film project, The Way, premiered.  The Christian Post published an article a couple of weeks ago about the project; it stated:

It was this passion for restoring biblical literacy to the masses — something the American Bible Society says has seen an unprecedented drop in recent years — that inspired Gifford’s latest project, "The Way," a symphonic 75-minute storytelling of the Bible, along with the companion book she co-wrote with Rabbi Jason Sobel,The God of the Way: ​​A Journey into the Stories, People, and Faith That Changed the World Forever.

Regarding the notion of "biblical literacy," Gifford emphasizes the importance of understanding the original texts; the Christian Post article states:

In an interview with The Christian Post, the Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and producer lamented that many Christians are no longer intellectually or spiritually curious; content with the status quo and “going to the same church week after week, singing the same songs, hearing the same stuff coming out of their pastors.”

“And a lot of this stuff that the pastors are teaching is not biblical,” she said. “They think it is because it comes from ‘the Bible,’ in quotes, but it doesn't come from the original Bible, which was written in Hebrew and Greek. Unless you're learning the Bible that way and then memorizing the Bible that way and then quoting it that way, you're not going to have power in your life.”

The article notes, "The speaker and author warned about false teachers who fail to preach repentance or misconstrue biblical teachings and insist on 'perpetuating myths.'”

Recently, I came across a story that shows how the well-known communicator put her faith into action. According to the Faithwire website:

The erstwhile “Today” anchor recently opened up on “The Prodigal Stories Podcast” about her brief but powerful encounter with shock jock Howard Stern, who was purportedly embroiled in a one-sided, decades-long feud with the popular TV personality, presumably for no other reason than her Christian beliefs.

The article says, "It all came to a head one day when the two were in the same building."

Seems Kathie Lee had never met Stern - in fact, their staff members had made sure they would not run into one another, keeping them on separate floors of the Rockefeller Center building where they both worked. But one day, she saw him and believed God was leading her to introduce herself. She related how she made her way through a crowd and said, "‘Hi, I’m Kathie Lee. I think it’s about time that we said hello. I just want to wish you all the best on the new show, and that’s it. Just take care. Have a good day.'”

And that was that - except it wasn't.  Faithwire reported: "After she had flown to be home with her family for her son’s graduation, Gifford received a voicemail from Stern, who had called her while she was on her flight." The story says that "he asked for her forgiveness."  The story goes on to say:

He called her a second time while she was at dinner. This time, Gifford picked up the phone and they spoke for about 20 minutes.

When Stern asked for her forgiveness, Gifford recalled telling him, “Howard, I’m so happy for you. Any time you start asking people to forgive you is the beginning of happiness in your life. You’re not a happy man; you never have been and so much of the hurtful things you say comes from — I know your background; you’ve been so hurt. I always understood that. Of course I forgive you.”

“But you’ve gotta know I forgave you 30 years ago, when you first started talking about me the way you did,” she continued. “I forgave you 30 years ago, Howard. I’ve been praying for you ever since.”

The impetus for her forgiveness, the TV host said, is because Jesus has forgiven her sins.

They have reportedly had a few more "friendly conversations" throughout the years.  Situation diffused.

This is a great example of the knowledge of God's Word resulting in obedient action.  We can claim to know Christ and know the Scriptures, but if we're not applying and acting, we are not fulfilling God's will for our lives. 

So, there is a difference between merely knowing and claiming to be a Christian and making sure our actions communicate that we know Him.  Sometimes that means making bold choices, as Kathie Lee Gifford did when she reached out to someone who had been berating her for years.  She even went as far as to tell him that she could forgive him because Jesus forgave her. 

God is calling us to be people who live out their faith - and He has empowered us with the Holy Spirit, who provides us with the direction we need.  We know what to do; it's just a matter of taking up Christ's cross each day and following Him.