Francis Bacon claimed, “Knowledge is power.”  In an information age, this is certainly true.  But with a surplus of information sources at our fingertips, knowledge can also be a serious source of distraction since much of this knowledge, even if accurate, is trivial and ultimately doesn’t matter all that much.

In his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman describes the impact media has on us this way: “[People] no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other.  They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images.  They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials. . . .  When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments . . ., then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.”

One of the great challenges Christians have in the digital age is to resist the temptation to “be in the know” about everything.  We are tempted to keep up on the latest news, events, trends, and celebrity exploits so that others will see us “relevant” and “knowledgeable.”  We fear missing out on what everyone else already seems to know, and dread being perceived as hopelessly old-fashioned and uninformed.

We are taken in by the promise of endless entertainment and amusement—a shallow vision of joy—that keeps us from a deep and abiding relationship with God.  We somehow think that inconsequential ideas and experiences can meaningfully replace what truly matters—a growing knowledge of and intimacy with God.  We no longer have the wisdom to discern the difference between the superficial and the significant, the trivial and the momentous.  We end up only thinking and talking about the latest fads and fashions rather than the deep things of God.

Because of its antiquity and our love for all things new, we are tempted to ignore or downplay the Bible’s importance when considering the issues of our time.  Nothing, however, matters more than the word of God since nothing and no One is more relevant than God.  As the old saying goes, “Everything that is not eternal is eternally out of date.”

We have to come to grips with the fact that God has made us finite.  We have only limited amounts of time and energy.  We must make wise choices in who we spend time with, as well as what we choose to know, care, and talk about with others.  And if we know more about current celebrities, sports figures, and politicians than we do about our neighbors, friends, and even the members of our own family, something has gone horribly wrong with our sense of purpose and relationship with the Lord.

So much of what passes for essential knowledge in our time is actually transitory and temporary.  The word of God, on the other hand, remains forever (Isaiah 40:8).  Jeremiah 6:16 implores us to “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it and find rest for your souls.”  2 Peter 3:18 exhorts us to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

How, then, do you spend your time and energies?  Where are you looking for real and substantial knowledge?  What do you think and talk about the most?  Who and what do you really want to know and why?