Heart Matters
Dear Friends,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good” has become a staple statement in my vocabulary. The Lord has used this Scripture to guide me as I pray for our grandchildren and others that I deeply love. I long for each one to love Jesus. God’s clear response to my prayers has been for me to reflect the beautiful grace, mercy, and love He provides when I focus on the scriptural table He has set for me and friends, for you. Sarah Ivill, our Daily Treasure guest writer this week, has set such a beautiful table, loaded with spiritual food, reminding us that theology matters for every aspect of our lives.
Sarah has led, taught, or written women’s Bible studies since she was eighteen. Sarah has served at the Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership, in Bible Study Fellowship, and as Director of Women’s Ministry in the local church, among other leadership positions. She is also a contributing blogger for enCourage (a blog of the PCA Women's Ministries) and has her own regular blog, The Haven, with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Sarah continues writing and teaching Reformed Bible studies for women and speaking at women's retreats and conferences. I have to admit, when I read her bio, I am humbled that she had the time to share with us some of her new book, Heart Matters – Teaching the Bible with Purity and Purpose. In this book, Sarah shares personal stories and experiences to encourage women who are called to teach the Bible to first examine their hearts and motives. Sarah also reminds us that theology matters. This is such an important truth for me, because in the darkest nights of my soul, when life did not make sense and emotions threatened to shape my view of God’s sovereignty and love, my theology drew me into the heart of my Savior. Friends, each of us has a worldview through which we push our thoughts and actions. Is your worldview biblical and rooted in sound theology? It will also determine your response to everyday life and those hard places. In Tuesday’s devotional, Sarah writes:
“The importance of teaching sound doctrine cannot be overemphasized….
Why Sound Doctrine Is Essential
Let me give you ten reasons why it’s important to teach sound doctrine.
(1) Sound doctrine teaches us to be God-centered, Christ-exalting, and Spirit-dependent. Sound doctrine is important because God is important. Without sound doctrine, we become self-centered, self-exalting, and self-dependent.
(2) Sound doctrine teaches us to submit all of our ideas, desires, and plans to the revealed will of God. Without sound doctrine, we will make the Bible say what we want it to say instead of what it actually says.
(3) Sound doctrine teaches us the big story of Scripture—creation, fall, redemption, consummation—so that we can understand our smaller stories in light of God’s larger one and help other women do the same. Without sound doctrine, we become the center of our stories, instead of recognizing that Christ is the center, not only of the big story, but also of our life stories.
(4) Sound doctrine reminds us of God’s gracious promises, leading to freedom. Without sound doctrine, we embrace the world’s promises, leading to enslavement.
(5) Sound doctrine keeps the gospel ever before us, so that we don’t fall into licentiousness on the one hand or legalism on the other. Without sound doctrine, we forget the gospel, relying on our own methods instead of Christ’s merit.
(6) Sound doctrine teaches us the importance of interdependence in the body of Christ. Without sound doctrine, we embrace individualism and isolationism.
(7) Sound doctrine grounds us in the truth, so that our beliefs are built on a solid foundation. Without sound doctrine, we will shift our views according to the culture.
(8) Sound doctrine trains us to speak the truth in love. Without sound doctrine, we will either speak the truth without love, or we will love without speaking the truth.
(9) Sound doctrine instructs us to make disciples in accordance with the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Without sound doctrine, we will pursue our ministry plans in our own ways.
(10) Sound doctrine teaches us to view this world as a place of preparation for the holy city, the new Jerusalem, the new heaven and the new earth. Without sound doctrine, we will make this world our home instead of eagerly anticipating the city to come.
*****
Teaching sound doctrine is vital. Since all of life is a preparation for the day when we will finally behold our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and since He deserves our highest worship and praise, we should give our utmost time and attention to understand the depths of the doctrines revealed to us in His word. Then we will know Him more deeply and bring higher praises before our Lord and King. In turn, we will tell the next generation who He is and all that He has done, that they too might deepen their worship and raise their voices in praise.” (Daily Treasure, Sarah Ivill, Tuesday’s devotional)
Friends, I’m loving Sarah’s words and message to us, and I hope that this week you will spend some time with Sarah as well and “taste and see that the Lord is good”!
Make sure that you check out her book: Heart Matters: Teaching the Bible with Purity and Purpose by Sarah Ivill – PCA
PRAYER
Father, thank You so much for women like Sarah who are so passionate about teaching Your Word, who are so clear in the truths of Scripture, communicating them to us in a way that we can pull them inside of our own hearts and see how they change the way that we view our world. Father, I pray that sound theology and sound doctrine would become the core of each of our hearts. In your precious name I pray, Amen.
Treasured by Him,
Sharon
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
