Majesty…Father Almighty…Maker….Saviour

June 16, 2011

Eddie Adoration, Cleasing from Guilt, Commitment, Genuine Christianity, God as Creator, God as Father, God is Sovereign, God's Power, Intimacy with God, Obedience, Purity, Purpose, Savior, Service, Sins, Truth, Will of God, Worship Leave a comment

The following are excerpts from chapter 23, “The Open Secret”, in  The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer

“But the God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a run of popularity today, whose chief claim to men’s attention is His ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor.  The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Saviour.

“Knowledge of such a Being cannot be gained by study alone.  It comes by a wisdom the natural man knows nothing of, neither can know, because it is spiritually discerned.  To know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world.  It is easy because the knowledge is not won by hard mental toil, but is something freely given”…”But this knowledge is difficult because there are conditions to be met and the obstinate nature of  fallen man does not take kindly to them.”

See the the chapter for the details of the conditions to which Tozer refers.  I present the introductory statements with these conditions which “as taught by the Bible and repeated through the centuries by the holiest, sweetest saints the world has ever known:”

  1. We must forsake our sins.  The belief that a holy God cannot be known by men of confirmed evil lives is not new to the Christian religion.
  2. There must be an utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith.  This is what it means to “believe in Christ.”
  3. There must be a reckoning of ourselves to have died unto sin and to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus, followed by a throwing open of the entire personality to the inflow of the Holy Spirit.
  4. We must boldly repudiate the cheap values of the fallen world and become completely detached in spirit from everything that unbelieving men set their hearts upon, allowing ourselves on the simplest enjoyments of nature which God has bestowed alike upon the just and the unjust.
  5. We must practice the art of long and loving meditation upon the majesty of God.  This will take some effort, for the concept of majesty has all but disappeared from the human race.

Tozer closes the chapter and book with this statement:  “There is a glorified Man on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven faithfully representing us there.  We are left for a season among men; let us faithfully represent Him here.” 

Oh, Father, with the time I have remaining here, let me faithfully represent you!

 

Be a Devoted Follower, Not a Blind Follower

July 2, 2010

Eddie Commitment, Genuine Christianity, God is Sovereign, Guidance, Happiness, Joy, Purpose Leave a comment

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, (2 Timothy 3:10 ESV)

In contrast to the imatators, Jannes and Jambres of verse 8, Paul commends Timothy as a devoted follower (not a blind follower) of Paul’s teaching, aim in life, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions and suffereings.  So this gives me pause to think, if I were Paul and people were going to follow me, what areas may I be interested in them paying attention to:

  • What I taught.  If people are going to follow my teachings, those teachings better be, in turn, following God’ Word.
  • My conduct. My behavior.  The public display of what I really believe, since the way I act is based on my beliefs and values.
  • My aim in life.  I think, there is something a person may hear me speak about in my teachings, but it is fleshed out in my daily conduct as is the balance of the list.  The word here means a setting forth, thus a target, plan or purpose. How many have given thought as to “what is my aim in life?”  I ask you dear reader, what is your target in life?  Your aim?  What are you shooting for?  Are you just getting up and going through the course of the day making a living, providing for your family, coming home, going to bed and getting up the next day only to begin again?  Is that your attitude?  Maybe the weekend is your goal!  The next vacation!

Remember, God has purpose for you as long as he leaves you here on this planet.  He has equipped you with the full potential to be what he has designed you to be.  Take Him by the hand today and let Him guide you, with your talents into the area(s) He has in mind.  Reach your full potential for your Lord!

Lord, I pray that my life would be planned according to what you have mapped out for me.  You have wired me and chosen me to accomplish your will in my life here on Earth.  Father, given that fact, my greatest happiness in this life will be when I am doing and living what you have in mind.  Conform my will to your plan!  For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Christian Imatators!

June 25, 2010

Eddie Genuine Christianity Leave a comment

1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

Tradition holds that Jannes and Jambres of verse 8 were Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in Exodus 7-9.  Consider what these men did as they squared off with Moses:  they were imitators of what Moses did.  They were counterfeits!  Satan is the great imatator.

Now let’s take the context of 2 Timothy 3:1-9.  Paul appears to group those who carry the 20 characteristics given in verses 1-7 into a category of imatators/counterfeits, opposers of the truth, corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.  Now think of this for a moment:  we have professed believers in our churches who practice the things listed in verses 1-7.  This is characteristic of the last days.  The easy believe-ism promoted by many today has resulted in our churches being packed with imatators.  It is in direct opposition to the truth that when a person is saved his/her life is changed.  Paul is identifying people with corrupt thinking.  They are not really a child of God!  One day (vs. 9) “their folly will be plain to all.”  This is a call to being genuine!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

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