On Trivia

For the past few weeks, I've been going to trivia night at a local restaurant with some of my friends. We've done quite well, finishing in the top 3 every week we've gone (and yes, before you ask, there are more than 3 teams....there's usually around 6 or 7). Anyway, as a result of our intelligence, we are rewarded with gift certificates, which we redeem the next week for pizza, and the cycle continues (as long as we win....).

We always have a good time, but it can be quite frustrating at certain points, particularly when you know that you knew the answer to a question at one point in your life, but you can't recall it for the world at the moment. Yeah, that happens a good bit. Or, you have the right answer, but then you second guess yourself and change it just before you turn it in, only to find out that your original answer was indeed correct. Talk about frustration!

As I try to recall all of this useless information that I regurgitate for these questions, I'm reminded of all the things I studied in school, only to forget as soon as I was tested on it. For instance, tonight there was a question about African geography. Only 2 weeks ago, I had to label a blank map of Africa for one of my classes, but this week I could barely remember any of it. Why? Because I learned it for the test and not to apply in real life.

At the same time, I'm amazed at all of the useless facts that I do know. I'm able to recall certain pieces of information that have absolutely no other purpose than answering a trivia question. Sure, it makes me sound smart (and it wins me pizza), but in the grand scheme of things, it's completely useless.

I think we treat God like trivia sometimes, doing both the things that I just mentioned. We memorize verses when we're little so we can win the prize in our youth group. Or, we learn about Jesus, memorize doctrines, and recite verses, filling our heads with all of this information about God, but we never put it to use. We never actually live it out. Sure, we learn the right answers so we can please our Sunday School teacher or impress our friends, but when you really think about it, we have no clue how all of this applies in real life.

If we're not careful, we can study the Bible only to fill our head with useless information. We're head-smart about Jesus, but our hearts are not in it at all. It's just useless trivia.

But here's the thing, when you stand before God one day, it's not going to be a trivia contest. He's not going to care about how much you know about him. He cares about how well you know him. God doesn't want mere scholars or Scripture-spouters. He wants disciples. Yes, studying God's Word is EXTREMELY important, and we need to learn as much as possible, but it doesn't mean anything unless we live it out.

Trivia's great for winning pizza, but it sure won't get you into heaven.