James Duff March 22nd 2015 ~ meditating on who God is...

I once heard someone say, “Opinions are like armpits; people usually have two and both of them stink.”There are many issues that call for us to have an opinion. Some issues are in the public sphere for the entire world to see, such as the fate of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, which range from death by firing squad through to complete clemency and freedom in Australia. Other public issues that call for an opinion are closer to home: Should the legal age of alcohol-purchase and consumption be increased from 18 years of age to 21? Then there are some more personal and private issues to be opinionated about. Here are two that might strike a chord: Should parents have their children play sport instead of going to church? Should retirees concentrate on leisure, such as lowering their golf handicaps, or dedicate their spare time to serve in the community? All of these examples call for an opinion and there are many factors to weigh up to make a well-informed one.As the people of God, it is vital that we have a reason for holding particular opinions. It is helpful to ask whether an issue actually is an issue at all. Opinions tend to become stronger when they seem to be objective in character. Something is objective if it’s real or true independent of anyone’s opinion about it. “Water is H2O” is an objective fact. Something is subjective if it’s just a matter of personal opinion. “Vanilla tastes better than chocolate” is subjective. Sometimes we can be guilty of holding subjective opinion as objective fact. When we do this our opinions, like our armpits, can leave a strong smelly odour.My theology lecturer taught that all Christians are theologians, some are very good and some very poor. His goal when lecturing was to teach his classes how to think well theologically. As Christians, all our opinions should be informed by a healthy understanding of who God is, what He has done, who we are in light of this and what He has then called us to do. I find these four aspects helpful when trying to come to a healthy opinion on an issue. Going back to the Bible to remind us of these four truths gives us a strong foundation for forming an opinion. I don’t have enough space to discuss this in detail but, needless to say, if we don’t follow a pattern similar to this our opinions can become illogical and far from how God sees us and the world.As we come closer to the season of remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus, I encourage you to go back to God’s word to help you in understanding why we think the way we do. By meditating on who God is, what Has he done, who we are in light of what he has done and what He now wants us to do, we will find our thirst for justice and mercy to be well-founded, well informed, encouraging for our soul and easier to share with others.God blessJames