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07.02.2010
Pursuit of God
When I first became a true believer in and follower of Jesus Christ, I read a book that fully resonated with my newly born passion to know Him…”The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer.
This book captured my longing to genuinely know and experience God. It put words to many of the challenges that I was facing in my own personal pursuit. And, it clearly expressed my bewilderment and, if I’m honest, my disdain for the multitudes of people who claimed the name “Christian” but seemed to have no personal knowledge of or real desire to know Christ. Though he wrote it nearly 30 years prior to my coming to Christ, it couldn’t have been more relevant to my experience in those days.
Because, (as we find illustrated in the lives of God’s people throughout the Bible and clearly expressed in Revelation 2:4), there is a natural tendency to lose this passion to know God over time…a tendency that I have certainly experienced…I seek to check the pulse of my passion for God by picking this book up periodically.
Recently, I did just that. In fact, it was the day before the 60th anniversary of when he wrote his preface to the book. And yet, with a couple of minor exceptions, it is still as relevant to my life, needs, desires, experiences, burdens, and thoughts as a believer as the first day I picked it up. It still makes my heart beat faster for God. It still challenges areas of lethargy that have crept into my spiritual life. It still makes me nod in agreement over the sad state of heart in the lives of so many self-professed “Christians” and “Churches”. Sadly, there are times that this includes the state of my own heart and that of the church I pastor.
What amazes me is that something so relevant today could have been written 60 years ago. And, even more, that something so alive with passion could have been written by a pastor who was in the twilight of his personal journey and ministry rather than at the beginning.
However, it shouldn’t really amaze me. After all, though it’s certainly not the majority nor necessarily the norm, there are married couples who have more passion for one another after 50 years of marriage than on their honeymoon. Why? Because they’ve pursued each other with genuine love and faithfulness for a lifetime. So, how much more can this be true with God…whose love is perfect and character is flawlessly faithful. When we are genuinely experiencing God, our passion for Him will never diminish. It will continue to grow deeper and more real. When we have a passion problem, it’s simply because we have stopped pursuing and experiencing God.
Of course, nothing allows us to experience God and challenges our spiritual lives more than God’s Word…when we consistently expose ourselves to it and genuinely allow it to speak to us. But, I have to confess that there are times when God uses a person like Tozer and the book he wrote to shake me up or, as in this case, to re-shake me up in and to my “pursuit of God.”
I’m curious…do you have any books or people that do this for you? Even more importantly, how’s your passion for God these days?
Comments
10 Comments
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July 2, 2010 2:18 pm
What a great question…I don’t rely on books(Tozer) so much to shake me up (this could be out of laziness)only our Bible,God’s word is engrained in my heart.I know when my “pursuit of God” is being challenged ,when I sin ,He shakes me up.I feel guilt ,a re-shake ,and I thank Him for that.It seems to me on my journey it’s His way ,God’s, of getting me back to where He wants and created me to be,moreover,He shows me that my actions are not lining up with my brother’s and sister’s who may be one or two steps ahead of me on their journey,as a result of this re-shake it re-ignites my passion.I just had a thought…maybe it would help me on my journey to pick up a book like Tozer’s ,I can’t keep re-lighting the pilot light
bob burnside
July 3, 2010 12:09 pm
“You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don’t be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.”
Michael Cheng
July 3, 2010 4:58 pm
Cheng,cross at the light and street signs those are of God,if not watch out…
bob burnside
July 4, 2010 11:07 am
Bob your statement is illogical, I am not talking about spiritual stop lights from god, and I am literally talking about crossing a street. You are trying to sound all spiritual and philosophical, in which you failed at both accounts. Your statement is bad cliché which as no true meaning to how people live their lives. I look both ways not because I do not trust god, I look both ways because god gave me the intelligence so that I do not do stupid things such walk across the street with out looking both ways for an oncoming car. So Bob try not looking for deep meaning in everything and please do not give people that are hurting happy sappy Christian clichés that do not work.
michale cheng
July 4, 2010 2:23 pm
My statement could be interpreted as derogatory,I apologize.
bob burnside
July 4, 2010 5:33 pm
Thank you Bob for your response, To many Christian I know give happy sappy answers to new Christians that life will get better once they have accepted Jesus as Savior. The truth is that life does not always get better sometimes and it may get even more harder., the only difference is that Christians have God to help bring them peace to their lives and hopefully other godly Christian that will come and help these new Christians through life hard times.
michale cheng
July 5, 2010 12:36 am
Frances Chan does that for me. The book Crazy Love was amazing and I swore I would be on fire for God forever. I am, but I need to pull it out again to reignite. I hate that circumstances in my life tend to throw me off course (been unemployed for 9 months). I doubt if God really has a plan for me – which of course I know He does – my human, earthly side gets the best of me. That’s when Crazy Love needs to be pulled out again. I will have to read Tozer’s book though. I’m always looking for a new way to ignite my soul.
Kim
July 6, 2010 2:26 pm
Jimmy Swaggart at SonLife Broadcasting (http://www.jsm.org/SonlifeNetwork_000.php) and Francis and Friends does it for me. They constantly talk about Christ and the Cross of Christ as our only hope of help in this world and salvation. Jimmy Swaggart is like the Rush Limbaugh of Christianity!!!!!
Gary A. Wiebe
August 21, 2010 1:42 am
I have a song that keeps me going. It is caleed the seeker by the rock band the Who. Pete Townsend the lead singer seems to be on the same path I’m currently on looking all over for answers and not knowing what to do. The end of the song goes ” I won’t get to get what I’m after til the day I die”. I think going to Northridge does put me on a more optimistic path than that.
Jeff Bond
August 26, 2010 4:08 pm