I was deeply affected today by the words of A.W. Tozer from his book, “The Knowledge Of The Holy.” A good book to come back to time and again. Here are his words from the chapter on The Self-Existence of God,

Is is not a cheerful thought that millions of us who live in a land of Bibles, who belong to churches and labor to promote the Christian religion, may yet pass our whole life on this earth without once having thought or tried to think seriously about the being of God. Few of us have let our hearts gaze in wonder at the I AM, the self-existent Self back of which no creatures can think. Such thoughts are too painful for us. We prefer to think were it will do more good — about how to build a better mousetrap, for instance, or  how to make two blades of grass grow where one grew before. And for this we are now paying a too heavy price in the secularization of our religion and the decay of our inner lives.

Last time I talked about how important it is to know who God is in order for us to truly love Him with all our heart and soul and mind as Jesus commands us. Tozer’s words are a powerful rebuke even more so to this present generation.  Do we love God for who He REALLY is? or for our ideas of who He is? And how does that show itself in the way we live our lives? How is our understanding of God honestly and practically demonstrated through our daily decisions both large and small? Tozer goes on to say,

Perhaps some sincere but puzzled Christian may at this juncture wish to inquire about the practicality of such concepts as I am trying to set forth here. “What bearing does this have on my life?” he may ask.”What possible meaning can the self-existence of God have for me and others like me in a world such as this and in times such as these?”

This is what I am challenging us with. Our understanding of God is borne out in how I live my life. Or to put it another way. how I live my life gives evidence of what my concept of God is.  It is inevitable, whether you realize it or not, your life is a demonstration of your understanding or lack of understanding of the character of God. But now, grasp what Tozer says next,

To this I reply that, because we are the handiwork of God, it follows that all our problems and their solutions are theological.

Don’t let the importance of this statement pass you by. In a largely secular society, we live out our lives mainly looking for secular solutions to the issues of our lives. And very honestly, this is just as true in christian ministries. What is he saying here? It is simply and so profoundly this, the answer to every issue of our lives has it’s origin in who God is. Every one. Don’t miss this now… EVERY ONE.

Do you begin to see how huge this is for your life? Do I realize this? The implications of this are life-changing. It is not a mix of secular and “religious.” Every issue, every relationship, every difficulty, every challenge in my life, in your life is rooted in the character of God.  Perhaps it is time that we face this head on. And in the context of my challenges to us here, how does that work itself out into how I love God with all my heart, and all my soul and with all my mind?  For each of us, coming to grips with this is profound beyond words.

A CHALLENGE FOR US ALL

Let me give you a challenge  here. I will take the same challenge. Take time with paper and pencil (or on your computer if you prefer) and begin to list every area of your life. Every part of your life, down to the smallest issues… don’t thing anything here is too small. And then beside that find what part of the character of God relates to that issue. Then take time before God to answer the question of whether or not you are really addressing that issue as if it’s only solution is found in who God is.

This most especially as we are giving our attention to the agony, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

It is the Tragedy of the Uncontemplated, that which we fail to contemplate about God which will be the greatest weakness in our lives. Think about it.

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