13 Mar Change Your Heart, Mind, and Life

Theology is the study of God and his word so that we can have the right understanding of who God is and what his word says. And that’s critical for us – this right understanding. But, it can also become a slippery slope, because we can become so theological, or so focused on knowledge about God that we become big old Bible heads and we miss God completely. Am I saying to disregard theology and the pursuit of biblical knowledge? No, not at all!⠀
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Let’s look at John 5. Jesus is being followed and harassed by the Pharisees and Sadducees– these were the names for the religious leaders (intellectual elites) of their day. They’ve been following Jesus, watching his every move, and pitching out questions to him to try to trick him and trap him. And Jesus is over it at this point and says to them (vv. 36-40, my paraphrase) “You’ve studied your big heads off and you have missed me completely! You have meticulous studied and yet you don’t know me at all. And I am right in front of your face!”⠀
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Friends, let this sink in– Jesus is saying, “If you really studied to know God intimately, to know him and to let him change your heart, you would know who I am. You would know me.”⠀
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Y’all that’s what this is all about! Not just head knowledge, but intimate heart knowledge, a heart transformation that just wants more and more of God. When you read the scriptures be sure it’s not just for knowledge + knowledge + knowledge. Don’t miss God in your study.⠀
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Yes, study theology. But, what we know and believe about God according to his word has got to become our reality. It’s got to become what we live and the way we actually live our lives. It can’t just stay up in our heads and be something that we’ve memorized. It has to trickle down into our heart and change our hearts. Because if you change your mind, you’ll change your heart, and you’ll change your life.⠀
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I love y’all!⠀
xo – P♥️⠀