The heart of the matter

I'm sick of theology. Sick of hearing about what I should be thinking about God. Sick of being told what the correct doctrinal stance is on this or that matter. What God thinks about money. What God thinks about Homosexuals. What God thinks about salvation. I think God might well be sick of it too. If He had wanted theologians He wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of compiling the Bible, but would have written a text-book instead. I think He might be far more interested in LOVERS.

The Bible is no textbook and to treat it as such is to bastardize it. It's a compilation, a best-of if you like, of the God who goes after the hearts of His people, the God who chooses encounter over information. God wants to encounter each of us all the time. Do we want it though?

Sometimes I think that we would much rather have the information. It keeps us safe. We know where we are with information. Encounter, well, it's too scary. I mean we might not end up in the driving seat and then where would our theology be? We might end up in a (holy) mess.

Theology, then, can be the biggest barrier to knowing God. It can be the biggest obstacle to encounter, unless it is submitted to the heart. Unless our thinking comes out of the love affair with God we are in, then I think we will always end up in idolatry of vacuous ideas and theological systems.

Jesus saw it like this;

"You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men." (Matt 15.7-9)

I want to honour God with my heart. Do you?