Things That Encourage Me

For the Lord’s Day, you may not read email, so this might be read on Monday, or maybe you will read it in the evening on Sunday in preparation for the second day of the week.

However you look at it, I want to share with you what I’m encouraged by at this time.

Progress

I’m encouraged when I see progress.

I’ve seen progress in my sons in two ways. The first way is that in the last couple of weeks they have improved their horsemanship skills exponentially. Their horsemanship has been on display as they prepare for the upcoming rodeo season. Their practice consists of training their horses and roping calves. This anticipates the high school rodeo season for the two older boys in the tie-down roping. And for my youngest son, in junior high he ropes in the breakaway roping event.

When we see our children make progress in their capacities, skills, abilities, awareness, stamina, coordination, strength, knowledge and discipline, parents are rightfully proud and grateful to God for the health and growth of our children.

Parents also know the sadness when certain aspects of their children’s lives cease to make progress. Sometimes it’s as simple as seeing them come to an end of their talent level in a sport. They aren’t going to play hockey or football at the next level.

Other times the sadness brings a lament for the apparent end of progress before a child gets a chance to do the regular things that other children do, such as run, throw, climb, give a speech, play an instrument, marry a soulmate, or buy a house.

So when we see our children make progress, not measured by the comparisons to other children, or the expectations of society, we rejoice. They are making progress by working with what, according to God’s economy, they’ve been given.

Have you experienced the limitations on progress in your loved ones, and in yourself, as well as the gratitude to God for the progress that has been made?

Secondly, I’m grateful for the progress in my sons spiritually. Two sons have been baptized and are members of the church, and my third son shows hopeful indications of a true faith in Jesus Christ whom he knows. When I see teenagers prioritizing going, not merely to church on Sunday, but prayer meetings, systematic theology bible studies, and other fellowship times with adult members of the church— these are great indications of progress. Of course all of this has to be matched with personal consistency and true faith in the living Christ. But I’m seeing that too. Theology is applied. The callousness of teenagers when they sin against others is owned and repented of. The liberty of forgiveness in the gospel is tasted and seen that it is good, because God is good.

Spiritual progress is the most encouraging kind of progress I can find.

Theology in Summertime

During the summer months, most of the scheduling in our lives gets thrown off. Kids are out of school for summer break, families go on vacation, wedding season picks up, and irregular barbeques scatter across our calendars.

So when I see Christians meeting regularly on Wednesday night to study systematic theology, I’m very encouraged.

When you think of systematic theology, unless you are a seminarian, or theology nerd, you tend to think of something close to academic philosophy. “Sys theo” sounds like it’s short-hand for esoteric knowledge that is mostly irrelevant but is fun to study if you don’t have other hobbies.

But “sys theo” promises much more.

To study systematic theology is to learn about the various buckets or categories of thoughts about God and God’s thoughts revealed to us. So it is a sorting exercise, but it helps you gain clarity in your devotion to the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Think of it like cleaning out your garage or doing a purge of the clutter in your living room. When everything is re-ordered and useless things are tossed out and precious things are put in their places, you have a sense of space, awareness and the orderliness of things that brings peace.

That’s what devotional study of systematic theology does. It brings peace to the soul. For example, we can have our false ideas of Jesus Christ tossed, such as when we think he is more mutant than man. Or when jettison bad ideas in our minds that have been cluttered with false performance standards to make us acceptable to God. Such housecleaning and re-organizing is what happens when we study systematic theology.

People could skip studies in systematic theology in the summer-time. They’ve got barbeques to go to. But for the many folks who have been thinking hard on Wednesday nights, they have enjoyed a different kind of refreshment. If spring cleaning was a time for reorganizing your home, then it is encouraging to me to see people studying systematic theology for the reorganizing of their souls before our glorious, majestic God.