Greetings,
Have you ever thought about theology? There are a lot of big words that can be intimidating, but I hope that you’ll look into it, because it’s a pretty big deal. Theology literally means "the study of God."
I read a survey recently that showed that church goers have some really backward thoughts about some really important concepts. For example, most Christians believe Jesus died on the cross for their salvation, but many don’t really know the depth of sin. According to the Ligonier Ministries’ State of Theology survey, 52% of evangelicals agree that everyone sins a little, but for the most part people are good by nature.
Why is that a big deal? Modern psychologists would probably agree that humans are both very good and very bad. That we possess the potential to do both good and harm. But if you are a Bible believer, then you know that there are clear verses like:
Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Matthew 15:19, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."
If you have a misconception about just one basic theological issue like human nature or original sin, your worldview becomes askew from Scripture. The power of the cross becomes lessened. In fact, if we are “good,” we don’t really need redemption. We could probably even be good enough to make it to heaven on own own merit.
So, what's our takeaway? Be careful to know what you believe and why you believe it before you take a survey and make Christians look ridiculous? Probably a good idea. But most importantly, knowing and understanding theology is a huge benefit to every believer. We should all make it a priority to study God and His word so that we can know Him and His ways better.
Love ya,
Chris
Greetings,
Do you ever find that you stop praying for certain things after a while? Maybe you prayed for healing for someone for years and they were never healed, so you stopped praying for that. Or maybe you used to pray for patience and then you realized the Lord continually presented you with opportunities to be patient, so you stopped praying for that.
I think often about Solomon and the fact that he prayed for wisdom, and the Lord blessed him with the greatest wisdom ever seen in a human. However, as he became older, he seemed to lose some of the wisdom that he had previously had. He seemed to lose sight of God and wander as someone without great wisdom. I wonder if Solomon had prayed more often for wisdom, if he would have continued to increase in wisdom? Wouldn’t that have been incredible, to be the wisest man ever, yet growing even more in wisdom? That would have been cool!
John 21:3-6
“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Did you ever notice that when Jesus told his disciples to throw the net to the other side of the boat, it was in the same blasted area where they had been fishing all night? Often, it is the persistence that pushes the prayer over the edge.
Sir Winston Churchill took three years getting through eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. It seems ironic that years later Oxford University asked him to address its commencement exercises.
He arrived with his usual props. A cigar, a cane and a top hat accompanied Churchill wherever he went. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. With unmatched dignity, he settled the crowd and stood confident before his admirers. Removing the cigar and carefully placing the top hat on the podium, Churchill gazed at his waiting audience. Authority rang in Churchill’s voice as he shouted, “Never give up!”
Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated: “Never give up!” His words thundered in their ears. There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform. His commencement address was finished.
Never give up on prayer!
Love ya,
Chris
A farm boy got a white football for Christmas. He played with it awhile and then kicked it over into the neighbor's yard by accident. The neighbor's old rooster ran out, looked at it, and called the hens together to see it. "Now look here," the rooster said, "I don't want you girls to think I'm complaining, but I just want you to see what they are laying next door."
Comparison and competition are issues that can plague the lives of individuals, families and churches. Theodore Roosevelt called comparison the thief of joy. When we compare our circumstances with others we can become either dissatisfied or arrogant in our circumstances.
“Look at so and so,” we might say, “why can’t we have what they have, do what they do or be who they are?” Without even knowing the full story, we can idealize other people’s situations, and it is a slippery slope toward becoming discontent with our own life situation. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Paul writes to Timothy, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
On the flip side, we could say, “Look at so and so… I sure am glad that we don’t have those problems, kids that do that, in-laws that act like that, etc.” Comparison in this way can cause us to become proud and arrogant.
There is great wisdom in being content and satisfied with what our position in life is, regardless of the circumstances. You might not know why the Lord has you in your current situation--it often makes no sense until you have come through the other side. We would be wise to persevere, keep close to the Lord and rest in knowing that God has a plan for each of us, and He desires us to be faithful and endure hardships with grace and find joy in the blessings. Galatians 6:4 warns, "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else."
Identify the mountain or challenge in front of you, without looking at your neighbor's mountain. We must each make a plan for how we will get over our own obstacles. Trust in the Lord for each step, resting in His knowledge and grace, seeking help from other believers that have already made it over this hill, and eventually you will see over the other side. That is when you can celebrate, look back over the hill you just climbed and praise the Lord that He is faithful and helped you to overcome.
Love ya,
Chris