Monday, October 18, 2010

Beliefs

I am so thankful I picked up a book this afternoon that caused me to think long and hard about my faith (or may I sadly confess, lack thereof) in the Christ I follow. I had no intention of reading Paul David Tripp's book, Broken-Down House: Living Productively in a World Gone Bad, but merely began to glance through it and I ran across a simple quote that caused me to sit in stunned silence and after I contemplated the vast truth in these eleven words and several more that followed, I could only ask the Lord to forgive my unbelief.

Tripp says this: "'Beliefs' not lived are 'beliefs' that have not been truly believed."

Oh, my!

I've said with my lips that my God is sovereign (and He is, according to Ephesians 1:11-14!), but I've moaned and groaned and complained over circumstances that were difficult to bear. I've said with my lips that God is providentially in control of all things (and He is, according to Job 23:10 and Ps. 107:23-31!), but I've lived like the issues of my life are controlled by other human beings or events. I've said with my lips that my God, who is the Creator of the universe, is able to do more than I could ask or imagine (and He is, according to Ephesians 3:20!), but sadly, I've lived like my God is powerless and puny. I've said with my lips that the Gospel is for all men (and it is, according to John 3:16!), but I've found it difficult to extend that love, grace, mercy and forgiveness to others.

Tripp sums it up by saying, "We may carry around a well-crafted, theologically precise, and biblically consistent worldview. But against the tug of daily living, that professed worldview does not always exercise the pull that it should. At the street level of daily life, the way we actually live reveals what we truly believe." (Emphasis mine.)

I don't want to have just a head knowledge of Christ that speaks of His attributes. I am desperate for God to give me a heart knowledge that knows and trusts and truly "believes" His sovereignty, His goodness, His power, His grace, His tender mercy and forgiveness, His providence, His love, His faithfulness, His sufficiency, His righteousness, His judgments, and His trustworthiness! The kind of heart knowledge that grounds the way I live my life and what His purpose...His story...means for my life!

No comments:

Post a Comment