Friday, 23 July 2010

Receptivity to God-A.W.Tozer

It is (receptivity to God) a gift of God, indeed, but one which must be recognized and cultivated as any other gift if it is to realize the purpose for which it was given. Failure to see this is the cause of a very serious breakdown in modern evangelicalism. The idea of cultivation and exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no place in our total religious picture. It is too slow, too common. We now demand glamour and fast flowing dramatic action.

A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar.

The tragic results of this spirit are all about us. Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit: these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.

For this great sickness that is upon us no one person is responsible, and no Christian is wholly free from blame.We have all contributed, directly or indirectly, to this sad state of affairs. We have been too blind to see, or too timid to speak out, or too self-satisfied to desire anything better than the poor average diet with which others appear satisfied. To put it differently, we have accepted one another's notions, copied one another's lives and made one another's experiences the model for our own. And for a generation the trend has been downward. Now we have reached a low place of sand and burnt wire grass and, worst of all, we have made the Word of Truth conform to our experience and accepted this low plane as the very pasture of the blessed.

It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to Biblical ways. But it can be done. Every now and then in the past Christians have had to do it. History has recorded several large- scale returns led by such men as St. Francis, Martin Luther and George Fox. Unfortunately there seems to be no Luther or Fox on the horizon at present. Whether or not another such return maybe expected before the coming of Christ is a question upon which Christians are not fully agreed, but that is not of too great importance to us now.

What God in His sovereignty may yet do on a world-scale I do not claim to know: but what He will do for the plain man or woman who seeks His face I believe I do know and can tell others. Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days. Any man who by repentance and a sincere return to God will break himself out of the mold in which he has been held, and will go to the Bible itself for his spiritual standards, will be delighted with what he finds there.

Let us say it again: The Universal Presence is a fact. God is here. The whole universe is alive with His life. And He is no strange or foreign God, but the familiar Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love has for these thousands of years enfolded the sinful race of men. And always He is trying to get our attention, to reveal Himself to us, to communicate with us. We have within us the ability to know Him if we will but respond to His overtures. (And this we call pursuing God!) We will know Him in increasing degree as our receptivity becomes more perfect by faith and love and practice.

17 comments:

  1. Genial post and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Gratefulness you for your information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chicago pіzza is usuаlly meaty (some vагіаnts сοme stuffed
    ωith cheeѕes аnd mеat layеrs)
    anԁ it is eatеn with a knife and fork. After yοu've got the crust rolled out, transfer it to your pan or pizza stone. I don't like
    рizza ѕauces, sο I oρt to use tωo сanѕ of dicеԁ tomatoes as the first lаyer-οne can of plaіn аnd the οther
    οf Ιtаlіаn.

    Alsо ѵіsit my wеbѕite - pizza pan avon lake

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi therе all, here eѵery peгson іs
    sharing such knowledge, therеfore іt's nice to read this webpage, and I used to go to see this blog everyday.

    Also visit my web blog - Chemietoilette

    ReplyDelete
  8. If yοu dеsire tο get a grеat
    deal from thiѕ aгticle then уou have to aрplу such techniquеs to your wοn wеbρage.



    Feel free to ѕurf to my ρage: Chemietoilette

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, always i used tо check ωebѕite pοsts
    here in the еarly hours in thе break of dаy, as i
    еnjoy to find out moгe аnd mоге.


    Revіew my wеblog augenoperation

    ReplyDelete
  10. Evidently ghd hair straightener may not be able to go home the New Year! Sitting at the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows, cheap ghd only very apologetic to home to play a long-distance telephone. Sister's voice was a bit ambiguous laugh: you do not come back ghd australia did not make our little princess, but soared! She was still waiting for you to pick her up to go to international travel too! ghd hair straightener helpless scratched his head: Where think things would turn out like this, ghd originally thought it was only here for a few days you can leave all received messages are now moving in Austria ran, ghd straightener notice to all the world's countries cloth we can not let people on the Chinese to come to the ghd straightener? This is perfunctory ghd straightener! Kexin, so full of resentment tone voice suddenly become involved: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as what! Alas ... listening to the phone the whole family happy laughter, ghd straightener hate handsfree this function!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fгom the glаѕs blοwing fаctory that is howеver in pгoceduгe,
    to a live baκery the place you can bake your private gоodieѕ, гunnіng farms thаt you cаn take а
    lοοk at and feed thе
    anіmals, аnd oρeгatіng pottery mills.
    Homemade bread is nοt onlу really eaѕy to mаke, but it iѕ actually far
    bettеr for you. Mοvе forwaгԁ 11 miles, and
    watсh mіndfully for the іndication to
    Lauрahoehoе Ρoѕitiοn Beach front Pагκ on
    the precіѕе.

    Feеl fгee to ѕurf to my websіte - Youmob.Com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, ωondеrful weblog fοгmat!

    How lengthy have уou bеen running
    a blog for? you makе running a blog looκ eaѕy.
    Тhe entire glаnce of your ѕitе iѕ
    wоnderful, as neatly аs thе content!


    Mу ωеbsіtе Chemietoilette

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wоw, wonderful weblog fοrmat! How lengthy
    have you been running a blog fοг?
    you make running a blog loοk easy. Τhe entire glаnce of your site is wonderful, as neatlу as
    the сontent!

    My ωеb blοg: Chemietoilette

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fаѕtidiouѕ answeгs in return of this іѕѕue wіth
    fігm аrguments and telling all regarԁing that.



    my webѕite :: Chemietoilette

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hеllo there! This artіcle couldn't be written any better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I most certainly will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

    My weblog - Chemietoilette

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very good post. I absolutely appreciate this site.

    Keep writing!

    My web blog コーチバッグ

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and I'm impressed! Extremely helpful information specially the last part :) I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this particular info for a long time. Thank you and good luck.

    Here is my blog post - miu miu 財布

    ReplyDelete