“Doubt is downgrading your theology to match your experience of reality.”

A thought by Mark Batterson (2014-09-02) from his book, The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible (pp. 175-176). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Here is what Mark says leading up to this thought, “We have a natural tendency to explain away what we cannot explain.” He then says, “The reason many of us miss the miracles that are all around us all the time is because we don’t have a prior memory to associate with them.”

Mark is looking in this section of his book of the experience of the apostles out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. They had never seen someone walking on water and so there was no way that their mind would come up with that as a fact. They first thought He was a ghost. And wouldn’t that be true of you and me? My first thought wouldn’t be that Jesus would be walking on the water. I haven’t seen it so it can’t be true. So I must downgrade my theology to match my experience of reality.

Mark also says, “I believe that every ology is a branch of theology… While we tend to think of spiritual and intellectual pursuits as mutually exclusive endeavors, that’s a false dichotomy. Great love is born of great knowledge. And the more you know, the more you know how much you don’t know. True knowledge doesn’t puff up with pride. It humbles us until we hit our knees in worship. It also beckons us out of the boat.”

We don’t have within us the ability to really comprehend who God is and what He really can do and really wants to do. But we can hunger to know more and then to really trust more. You see this life with God is a life of faith and as Hebrews 11: 1 (NIRV) says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.”

Let’s not downgrade but expand the untold wonders of our faith. We really can’t comprehend who God is or what He can do but we can love Him and believe in Him and worship Him and let Him walk on our waters and get out and walk with Him.

So would you like to get out of the boat and do some walking?

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog