It’s not enough just to know the Scriptures, but we also have to know how to apply them . . . because it can make a difference.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation . . . so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ....—Ephesians 1:17–18 (nrsv)

My daughter Annie and I were at a basketball game when one of the players crumpled to the floor. As the trainers leaped to his aid, a hush fell over the fans. No one around us was speaking.

Except my daughter. In whispered tones, she began describing what the trainers were doing and why. “See the way they’re manipulating his leg? That’s how you test for a torn anterior cruciate ligament.” A slightly different movement: “Now they’re testing the MCL. That’s the medial collateral ligament.”

Annie is an athletic-training major in college, so the details she relayed weren’t a surprise. What I noticed more was how her eyes seemed to dance as she did it. She smiled and said simply, “Dad, it’s not about just knowing the facts. I have to know how to apply what I know, so I can make a difference for someone.”

I’ve applied that same principle to my faith. It’s not enough just to know the words, but I also have to know how to apply them . . . because it can make a difference. Remembering that makes my devotional study more than just about understanding the words. Every day I’m now also asking, How might I use these words to make this world a better place? And when I ask that question, my eyes sparkle a bit too!

Written by Jeff Japinga