Thoughts of the Day-10/22/09

“Our break with the world will be the direct out come of our changed relation to God. For the world of fallen men does not honor God. Millions call themselves by His name, it is true, and pay some token respect to Him, but a simple test will show how little He is really honored among them. Let the average man be put to the proof on the question of who or what is above, and his true position will be exposed. Let him be forced into making a choice between God and money, between God and men, between God and personal ambition, God and self, God and human love, and God will take second place every time. Those other things will be exalted above. However the man may protest, the proof is in the choices he makes day after day through his life.”-The Pursuit of God-A.W. Tozer


As I read through this quote from Tozer’s amazing book (seriously, READ it), I reflect back on my life. I could go on and on about times in my life where God has been relegated to second place. For some reason, I feel that I can take comfort in the fact that it was a very close second. Really, though, does this minor detail matter? I still have failed to give God His rightful place in my life. No matter how much “blessing” I could achieve or greatness I could attain by my choices, it really holds no value or significance unless it is a direct reflection of my Father. We are called to imitate Jesus. This means that when I look at myself, I should see Jesus. More importantly, when others look at me, their eyes should be directed towards the person of Jesus. When I chose to give Jesus residency in my life, I chose to deny myself, to surrender my desires. I am to be an example of who Jesus is in everything I say and do.


How do I do this? Do I just need to have amazing will-power? What if I’m not feeling so strong? What if my fleshly desires conflict with God’s will? Many times I think that I’ll be strong enough in and of myself to walk out this Christian life. Maybe if I can just prove this to myself, it’ll get easier as time goes. There’s something terribly wrong, however, with this thought process. It’s the word “I”. If we live life in this “I” mentality, eventually our foundation (ourselves) will fall apart. Our choices will be direct proof of this. Beginning with the little things, eventually we find ourselves entangled in sin.


The solution to this is simple. Put Jesus in the center. Delve into Scripture. The Word of God is living and active. It doesn’t lose its power the more you read it. It just gets more and more powerful. It breaks down defenses. It softens the heart. It inspires change. It makes you into the man or woman God intended you to be. It teaches us what it means to reflect Jesus. We need to take God just as He is, for He doesn’t change. Then we need to change our lives so that we can be effective in the Kingdom of God. When we face the fire, we don’t want to emerge staggering, burned and starving for life. With a life centered on Jesus, we will emerge standing upright, unscathed, and clinging to the arms of Jesus more than ever. Better yet, we will be refined and pure as gold.


“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. “-Job 23:10-12