Why Theology Matters
If theology is all about recognizing that God wants us to know Him and cares what we think about Him, taking time out of our busy lives to orient our thoughts toward God and reflect carefully on Him in all His glory, then theology is a very particular kind of task.
It is worship.
-Marc Cortez, Western Seminary
This is an excellent reminder for all of us in Christ Jesus today! God's timing and will are so amazing, beyond coincidence and perfect in ALL situations...even when the situation seems so dark and no immediate rescue is in sight.
If you haven't read it, you should read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Can you praise God for the fleas? Betsie and her sister, Corrie, were Christian Dutch women whose family hid Jews during WWII from the Germans. They were caught and sent to several concentration camps. One night, Corrie was complaining about the fleas. And, Betsie reminded her to praise God for the fleas. Because of the fleas the German guards left their shack alone and they were able to hold Bible studies and pray with the other captives.
Corrie and Betsie were sent to the Vught political concentration camp (in the Netherlands), and finally to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany, where Corrie's sister Betsie died on December 16, 1944. Before she died, she told Corrie, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." Corrie was released on New Year's Eve of December 1944. In the movie The Hiding Place, Ten Boom narrates the section on her release from camp, saying that she later learned that her release had been a clerical error. The women prisoners her age in the camp were killed the week following her release. She said, "God does not have problems. Only plans."
What is Theology? Simply put, it is the study of Who God is. We use God's personal journal to us, the Bible, to study about Who He is. I really liked the analogy Pastor Phil used on Sunday about him and Jen switching personal journals to get to know one another better. If you think about it, we are all interested in Theology...we just let the word goof us up sometimes. Theology isn't something just for seminary students, pastors or elders. In fact, we practice a form of this every day in our lives.
If we love God, as we say we do, we should want to spend time with Him, know all we can about Him, seek ways to please Him (glorify Him), respect Him, and grow deeper in our relationship with Him. And, if we know God, we trust Him. In all circumstances. Even when tornadoes come and wipe out a town, and people cry out, "Where was God in this?" We know and trust God to be actively at work. That is why theology is important.
I was just having a conversation with my best friend on Sunday about this very subject.
Good Theology praises God during the bad. If we don't have a right understanding of Who God is we flounder in times of trouble.
Good Theology praises God during the good. If we don't have a right understanding of Who God is we become prideful in times of goodness.
Keeping all situations in the right framework of a good Theology is what allows us to grow deeper in our love for God and our relationship with Him.
Read on for Erin's post from Lies Young Women Believe...
Tornados and Theology
Faith posted by Erin Davis on 05/30/11
Last week a massive F-5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, killing at least 139 people and leveling 30 percent of the city.
I live 60 miles from Joplin. Medical records from the hospital that was hit rained down on my neighborhood after the storm. I have friends and acquaintances who live in the torn city. My husband will spend the next week running a chainsaw to clean up debris there. In other words, this tragedy literally struck close to home.
In the days since the tornado, I have felt a range of emotions. From sorrow to helplessness to gratitude that my home and family are intact. But what I haven't felt is hopeless. I haven't felt angry. I haven't felt unsteady. My theology is strong enough to weather the storm.
In the aftermath of such unspeakable loss, questions about God often bubble to the surface. But while my emotions have been swirling this week, I have found an anchor in the truth about God from His word.
Because I know that God is good (Ps. 145:9) I don't have to wrestle with anger that God allowed this storm as a cruel cosmic joke. Because I know that God is a capable provider (Phil. 4:19) I am on the lookout for ways He is on the move instead of questioning where He was when the storm hit. In fact, His presence has been obvious in a million stories you may not see on TV. Despite these dark days for the people of Joplin, God has provided hope, peace, comfort, and safety for thousands of people.
Because I know that God is sovereign (Ps. 115:3), I don't have to feel out of control when circumstances are hard to comprehend.
Because I know that God can redeem all things (Rom. 8:28), I can face any crisis with hope for something better rather than the hopelessness of feeling like bad news is the end of the story.
Because I know that earth is my temporary home (John 16:33), I am not undone when I see it destroyed, and I take great hope in knowing that at time is coming when all things, including the city of Joplin, will be made brand-new.
Because I have a shelter, I know where to run when the storms of life come. Nahum 1:7 says, "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."
And because my hope is in a good God who never leaves the throne room (Lam. 5:19), I don't have to be afraid the next time dark clouds start to form (Deut. 31:6).
This is why theology matters. This is why we all need to know what we believe about God and build a foundation of faith straight from His Word. Hard times will come. Circumstances we didn't expect will take things we didn't want to lose. Storms will roll in, winds will blow, and we will suffer loss. But you don't have to feel hopeless. You don't have to wrestle with disillusionment or fractured faith when life doesn't turn out like you've planned. If you know who God is, you can face the storm knowing that you serve a good God who is always working for your good and His glory.
Jesus taught this very principle during his ministry on earth. In Luke 6:47–49 we read, "As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
It's time to check your foundation. Are you grounded in the truth about God? Is your understanding of His nature enough to hold you up when the winds of life blow? Or are you lacking firm footings, causing you to be blown and tossed by your circumstances because you don't hold fast to the truth about God?
If you're not sure your faith would have held up if the tornado had struck your neighborhood, you've got some work to do. Shore up your faith by looking at who God is according to His Word. Memorize the attributes of God, and pray about areas where you have questions or doubts. Look for ways you see God at work all around you instead of wondering where He's gone when life gets tough. Use this post as a reminder that theology matters, because what you believe about God will determine the way that you live.
--
Mary E.Hickcox
http://www.calvarybaptistsm.org/
http://mary-neotes.blogspot.com/
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home