Hey Sheep, Are You Bloated?

August 27, 2023 00:04:42
Hey Sheep, Are You Bloated?
Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens
Hey Sheep, Are You Bloated?

Aug 27 2023 | 00:04:42

/

Show Notes

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-11; 8:1-3; PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11

I was just reading an article about sheep, and I learned about something called sheep bloat. Sometimes a farmer goes out one morning, and there’s this dead sheep laying on its back, feet up in the air. Its belly is swollen tight. And sheep bloat has slain another one.

What causes sheep bloat? It happens when a sheep eats too much lush, delectable, protein-rich pasture. The sheep can’t handle the richness, and the gases fill its belly until—pop. It’s dead.

What does that have to do with us? God calls us His sheep, and He is our Good Shepherd. And, much like sheep, we have the potential to bloat. Paul tells us that “knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Too much rich knowledge without love can actually hinder our spiritual life. If we haven’t been built up and strengthened by love, we can’t sustain all that richness, so we too could bloat up with pride and noxious fumes until we’re knocked flat—like the sheep that fall victim to sheep bloat.

But dwelling in Jesus’s love builds us up. When we rest in the gospel—the truth of Jesus’s love for us embodied in His death and resurrection—His love equips us to take in all kinds of good knowledge without bloating.

How can we tell if we’re being puffed up or built up? Here’s a good test: Does new information make us excited to show other people how smart we are, or does it give us a burning desire to help others enjoy it too? Do we follow knowledge-rich podcasts to make ourselves more useful to others, or to make others think we’re bigger than they are? We won’t be helpful to others if we’re paralyzed by our own bloatedness (Ephesians 4:29).

Nobody likes knowledge gas. But because of Jesus, we can be built up by God’s love, extend that love to those around us, and then acquire some vital knowledge that will bless all of us—not just impress people with our hot air. • Rebekah Dorris

• Jesus calls us to love Him and to love others (Matthew 22:37-40). How can pursuing knowledge help us love God and each other better?

• What can happen when we pursue knowledge without love?

But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 1 Corinthians 8:1b (NIV) 

Other Episodes

Episode

June 28, 2022
Episode Cover

When In Doubt

I recently learned of two newborn babies who died, mere days and weeks after being born. Having a baby of my own, learning of...

Listen

Episode 0

July 17, 2023 00:04:52
Episode Cover

Conflict Resolution

How do you deal with conflict? I may have an unpopular approach, but I tend to address conflict head on, right away. I don’t...

Listen

Episode

March 18, 2023
Episode Cover

Remembering to Pray

Sometimes I forget to pray. And sometimes I forget to pray for a while. Life gets busy, or I don’t find myself with quiet...

Listen