In a tiny book about 2/3rds of the way through the New Testament, Paul talks to a good friend and
pastor he knows as Philemon. Paul’s prayer for his friend was that the full knowledge of every good
thing that is in us for the sake of Christ might be seen in him as he shared his life with those around him.
There is a big difference between the full knowledge of every good thing and a partial understanding of
some good things. I think most Christians have a partial knowledge of some good things, but that isn’t
the goal. Partial knowledge sounds like this: the Bible is good but it was written by all white guys, so it
must have some pretty strong bias. Some people really think this! Or, some key elements have been
deleted in newer translations of the Bible, so it’s corrupted and can’t be trusted. Partial knowledge, as
dangerous as it is, is very common.

My prayer for you is the same as Paul’s. That your understanding of every good thing that is in you for
the sake of Christ may be FULL. And that as you live your life, all those good things will spill out into the
lives of those around you. Now hear this, full knowledge requires courage. A life lived by faith is not for
the faint of heart. Because of your stance in Christ, the world will try and knock you down. All the forces
of darkness will work to distract and incapacitate you. A full knowledge of every good thing that is in you
for the sake of Christ requires you to live your life in such a way that will cut straight across the grain of
the culture. Full knowledge requires great courage and it is built on strong trust. And trust is something
that is earned. God will surround you with faithful people in the Church, the Body of Christ. For life
together with them to be good and helpful, you must trust each other. Life together with the Body is
one of the hardest things you will ever do, but it is also one of the best. You will find more
encouragement, more hope, more love and more peace together with the Church than you will
anywhere else.

And in order for full knowledge to be something we enjoy, we must do the hard things. We must forgive.
We must own up to the wrong things we’ve said and done. We must face the music. As we go back to
mend relationships, to tell the truth, to ask for forgiveness where we’ve wronged others or give
forgiveness in the places we’ve been wronged, we learn more and more about who God is. The roots of
faithfulness grow deeper and deeper into our lives, and the lives of those around us are refreshed. This
word is like a cool glass of tea on a hot summer afternoon. It brings us strength to get the job done. It
undoes some of the stress of the labor and allows us to finish with less of a burden. Lives lived with a full
knowledge of the good of God that’s worked into us because of Christ are refreshing to those around
them. They make the job easier to finish.

I encourage you, Christian, lean into the hard things. Don’t dodge obstacles just because they are in your
way. Answer the hard questions thoughtfully and prayerfully. Take your time with those who are
struggling. Listen carefully as people share their stories and their lives with you. Don’t be in a hurry to
get your work done. People are our work! And people can be messy. Shoot, we can be messy! Take your
time and do the hard things.

I think often about the verse that says the Spirit of God “intercedes for us with groans that words can’t
express.” Now, that’s hard! Day after day, night after night, the Spirit of God standing before the Father,
interceding for us in such difficult circumstances; there isn’t even a language that can communicate
what He’s trying to say. Following Christ isn’t all peaches and cream. We need to deal with the hard
things God allows into our lives in a faithful way. The world is watching how we respond to the ugliness
that is dished out. A full knowledge of all Christ offers us leaves the door wide open for us not just just
face hard things but to also deal with them courageously. David says it well. “Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”