Following and Believing and Doubting

A friend sent me a quote from a book I read long ago (Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard) about our current sermon series and I loved it so much I used it at the end of this Sunday's message. I thought it may be good to post for those who struggle with doubts...

"We do not choose to believe or not. Our beliefs and feelings cannot be changed by choice. We cannot just choose to have different beliefs and feelings. But we do have some liberty to take in different ideas and information and to think about things in different ways. We can choose to take in the Word of God, and when we do that, beliefs and feelings will be steadily pulled in a godly direction." (p. 248)

I love that!

Comments

[Billy Cook]

I am drawn to this quote and returned to this blog entry in order to chew on it some more. At first I say YEAH! that's right but then I began to compare it to passages that the Spirit brought to mind. I am now wondering about how they reconcile. for example, Mar 1:15 seems like a direct command to believe and now I'm wondering if there is an underlying nuance I'm missing.
Likewise, Mar 11:24 ...What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Now I realize that when Jesus speaks the power of his words alone could excite belief but, consider the exchange in Luke 22:67 "Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe." This says to me that it isn't Christ's audible voice that evokes belief either. I have succumb to over-analysis paralysis when considering John 6:29 where Jesus tells them, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." I mean, is this simply a moral duty of believing or God's compassionate work in us allowing us the capacity to believe? Where do I put the emphasis? I do think deep-in-the-bowel believing is less of a choice than let's say what to get from the dollar menu at Wendy's. It is also my firmly held opinion that my worldview is THE single most influential factor and that is, I think, what D. Willard's quote is embracing.
....I choose a Biblical worldview ...and I believe!
Billy Cook <