ALL DOCTRINE, NO HEART...

Have you ever stopped to wonder why people often assume that because someone is passionate about a certain doctrine that they have no heart? I have experienced this where someone’s passion for scripture can be misunderstood as being focused only on doctrine and not looking at the heart of Christ.

All doctrine, no heart...

So, what is doctrine, I think too often it is not explained properly and therefore completely misunderstood as a lack of emotion and spiritual feelings.

Doctrine can be defined as a principle of faith. It is the teaching of God’s Word. We all have faith. Often I think that at times we judge the way others express their faith as it does not fit in the box we have labelled “faith” and what we believe it should look like.

I believe that God created us all equally, yet uniquely as well. As long as the faith we are professing lines up with the Holy Scriptures, does it really matter if they way one person expresses themselves is a little different to the way we would.

In life we will come across the quiet of faith, who are reserved, don’t speak all that much, however spend a lot of time listening, and when these people speak it is often an incredible insight. Then there are the noisier of faith, who like to let everyone know their view on scripture and can often, seem over bearing. These people mean well and are often very full of knowledge and worth listening to. Just because they are full of knowledge and speak their mind doesn’t mean that they somehow lack emotion and heart, they are often very passionate people who are misunderstood because they have such a heart for the gospel that they just want to share it with everyone they see and everywhere they go.

In closing I would like to leave you with some scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Titus 1:9
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

The Perfect Life

Far to often I try to live the perfect life, not exactly holy and blameless, but more than that I try to make it look like I have it all together. As Christians aren't we called to have it all together, to live the perfect sin free life with all of life's luxuries included.


I am sure that is what I signed up for when I became a Christian, didn't you?


Ok, so that couldn't be further from the truth. But it sure sounds good.


I think that the world often expects that standard of perfect, as we claim to be different from the world, yet we still suffer a lot of the same things as the world. We are affected by tragedies, we have financial losses and heartache, we still experience relationship breakdowns, etc..


The difference is that we have Jesus our Lord and Saviour to turn to in every circumstance. Thank you God for your gift of Salvation as it literally brings me life. I thank you that even though I often make mistakes and fall short, that you are always there to guide and correct me. 


Create in me a clean heart Lord, one that does not boast in evil. A heart that will rejoice in suffering as I know it is bringing me closer to you and your Glory.