Happy Tensions: Head + Heart

Christianity refuses to choose between head and heart. It is both head and heart. It is intellectually credible (if you would take time to study), as well as experientially pleasing. Christ fills our heads, and captivates our hearts. God’s Word forces us to think deeply, but touches us on the deepest level. It is real, and must be experience in real-time.

We each are drawn towards one direction. Be tethered to both. Those who detach the two are either swimming in a sea of religion, or being swept away in an ocean of mysticism.

Know God.

Love Him.

Enjoy Him.

Fill your mind with Him, and never stop swimming in the depths of His love, truth, and taking others to take the plunge with you. We were meant to know God, cognitively and experientially. And we were meant to do that with others, pointing others to Him. God wants to be known. Do you know Him? Do others know Him because of you?

 

Happy Tensions: What, Why, How … Who!

The Bible specifically tells us the What & Why of God’s revelation, and in many ways reveals to us the How (as well as they where, when, etc.). It is a collection of God’s specifically written 66 books packed with narrative, the great themes of God’s revelation, propositional truths, and a whole lot more, for all Scripture is “breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ). Why? So the people of God will be thoroughly equipped for all of life (every good work, v. 17).

What, Why, How ... WHO!

Related to this, let us consider a different perspective or facet related to What, Why & How, especially related to communicating God’s true Word (preaching, teaching, etc.). For right now let’s think of “What” as the truths of Scripture, the essential doctrines . “Why” would be the theological perspectives and reasons behind these truths . “How” represents principles for godly living derived from Scripture (based on the What & Why), for life application.

But there is still something missing – rather, “Who” is missing?
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Think it over.

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin

It appears so many people do not give themselves to rigorous study (of whatever subject makes them curious), finding better resources and opportunities to grow. Why is this?

Active investigation is out, giving way to trusting others to bring us the info, news, and truth we need — passively sitting back for others to make sense of it for us. It appears this is not so much because people know it all, it’s that some people think they know it all. (Or, think that knowledge is not important.)

Humility and curiosity are keys to learning well. Couple that with diligence and you may have a world-changer; or at least a neighborhood changer, because in humility we value people as much as ideas. It’s not that we need to know everything. Rather, if we know a few things well, and are gripped by them — we’ll change our corner of the world.

God connects good thinking to good character and good skills:

As Paul writes to the Romans, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.”
—Romans 15:14

Those who can wisely instruct and counsel others (on a wide range of topics and life) must have proven character and growing knowledge. We never arrive in this life. But we who think we have arrive are in fact the furthest from it.

It takes diligence to think. It takes discipline to order our lives around new priorities (which is what the word means), and to learn beyond our current level of understanding. We need to be people who are being made new, strengthened by the grace that comes from God’s gracious character:

[2:1] You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, [2] and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. [3] Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [4] No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. [5] An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. [6] It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. [7] Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
—2 Timothy 2:1-7

See that promise in verse 7, a ‘happy tension’ of sorts: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” I bet Timothy clung onto that promise as tightly as he followed the four metaphorical figures: suffering as a good soldier, disciplining himself and competing according to the rules, the hard-working and tireless farmer, and (back to the first one, in verse two) teaching and entrusting essential truths to reliable men.

Read, examine, respond. Think deeply. Be changed. Pour into others. Repeat.