Why Theology Matters

I hope that I didn't lose you with the title. Theology isn't the most popular topic these days, but it is important. Theology is the study of God. Our personal theology is what we believe about God. A lot of people view theology as something that is very academic and only for those in seminary, or pursuing a Phd. Theology is for everyone though. Because Theology is what we believe about God, everyone has a theology, it just may not be well thought out, or based on Scripture as it should be. Theology matters because what we believe about God, affects what we do. If our theology tells us that God is good, we can trust Him in times of suffering. If our theology tells us that God is all knowing or omniscient, we can trust that He sees so much more then we can see. Our theology should be the basis for which we judge cultural issues, not what is popular, or what we feel. When we read the Bible, we should be reading to learn God's Word. Over and over in Scripture we are commanded to study God's Word, and yet many Christians only interaction with God's Word is from Sunday sermons or inspirational reading that hardly mentions Scripture. How can we be prepared to face the trials that will undoubtedly come in this life if we are not in God's Word? God does not command us to be in His Word to have one more thing to check off of our to do list, but so that we will be prepared to face this life. Shortly after we lost Sophia we met with one of Jeremy's professors to talk things through a bit. He encouraged us a lot, but he said one thing that has stuck with us both. He said, "Let your theology dictate your grieving." We have had to remind ourselves of that in the past months, and I have realized that we should use that mindset about everything in life. What we believe about God should be the basis for everything we do. Let your theology dictate who your friends are. Let your theology dictate how you spend your money. Let your theology dictate how you raise your children. Let your theology dictate how you feel. So as you go through this week, and have to make decisions, let what you believe about God dictate what you do, what you say, and how you feel. Commit to getting into God's Word and learning more about who God is, and how He desires us to live.