the·ol·o·gy – “the study of God and of God’s relation to the world”

It really is a tragic thing that the American church belittles theology, for in doing so we minimize God’s very nature and existence.  You see, theology isn’t about gaining a knowledge that puffs up, theology is about seeking to know God with a spirit of humility.  You probably don’t think of yourself as a theologian but by definition we all are theologians -we all have developed a lens with which we see God through.  It’s not about using fancy terms or going to seminary, it’s about reading God’s word and asking for the help of God’s Spirit which He has given to His children to understand Scripture (Illumination).

If we aren’t studying and getting to know God better, then we saying with our actions that God isn’t great enough to be known and loved.

So the question isn’t about how much time you and I should take reading the Bible and praying, the question we all should ask is this: do I really love Jesus?  If you are like me, you find yourself wanting to Love God more than you already do, yet your desire to understand and know the Jesus of Scripture is weak.  You feel that God’s Word is stale at times and find yourself turning to earthly pleasures to give you joy instead of finding it in the Creator of joy.

The problem isn’t God -the Word is not boring!  Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight…”

If you really want to grow deeper in your affection for the Lord, then would you take the time to pray the following prayer along with me?  While their is no magical format of how we should pray, I have found the words in this prayer to be honest and powerful.  It wows me that this prayer was written by an uneducated theologian who took time and energy to know God.  It is my hope that the Spirit will use prayers like this one to daily stir our hearts toward knowing Jesus better.

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow  Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

– A.W. Tozer

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