Knowing God is Loving God
When Julie and I first started dating, we lived in separate cities– she in Lexington, myself in Louisville. So we spent a fair amount of time on the phone. Early on she told me, “Don’t call after 11PM. I need my sleep.” But I thought she was joking. What college student goes to bed at 11? So I kept calling, but sure enough, a few times later, she stopped answering after 11. Boundaries! So I had to be sure to call her early because I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to talk. I wanted to get to know her better, and that only comes with time. There are no shortcuts to getting to know someone; it takes lots of time talking with them, observing them, learning about them. You need time, you need interest, and you need honesty. We both had to be honest with who we were to help give a fair picture to the other person about what they might be getting into! Of course you can think you know everything about a person there is to know, and then you get married and see that you just barely knew them. But you knew enough (usually) to make a commitment.
This Sunday we are starting a new series at church based on this idea, that getting to know someone is part of growing in love for them (last week we wrapped up the book of Jonah). You certainly knew some things about the Bible and about Jesus when you became a Christian; however, as you’ve probably seen by now, there is an endless amount that can be known about God through His Word. Mark 12:30-31 says we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Love doesn’t only involve the heart but also the mind. In fact, the mind informs the heart and directs its affections.
The fancy word for the study of God, and thus getting to know and love Him more, is the word “Theology.” Everyone does “theology” whether they realize it or not, because everyone has thoughts about God. If you ever say “God is…” or “God is not…”, you are doing theology. You are making judgments about the nature and character of God. The only question is- is your theology good, based on truth, or is it false, based on misunderstandings or made-up ideas of who God is?
To help guide our journey in this study, we are recommending the book You Are a Theologian By Jen Wilkin and J.T. English. It’s a normal length book (200 pages or so) and written in a very accessible way. We will follow the basic outline of the book, over the next few months, as we talk about who God is. We will have copies for sale at our cost ($15, cheaper than Amazon) this Sunday in the lobby. It’s not required, but you might enjoy supplementing your own study by reading the chapter corresponding to the sermon topic of the week.
My prayer is that as Valley View grows in our knowledge of God, our love for Him would grow, and that our neighbors, family, friends and co-workers all across the South End of Louisville would see Christ at work in our lives and come to know Him as well!