A Naked Intent Unto God

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip." (Hebrews 2:1)

Now here is a strange thing. If you talk about mysticism in our day, every fundamentalist throws his hands high in the air with disgust to let you know that he considers the mystics dreamers, those who believe in the emotion and feeling. But all of those old saints and the fathers of whom I have read taught that you must believe God by a naked, cold intent of your will and then the other things follow along.

A naked intent unto God - those old saints were practical men. They have exhorted us to press on in faith whether we feel like it or not. They have exhorted us to pray - when we feel like it and when we don't. They never taught that we would always be lifted emotionally to the heights. They knew that there are times when your spiritual progress must be by a naked intent unto God.

Oh that we would have this naked intent to know God, to know Jesus Christ! To be able to put the world and things and people beneath our feet and to open our hearts to only one lover, and that the Son of God Himself!

Lord, give me today a new passion for knowing You, a "naked intent" that compels me to seek You always, no matter what I feel. Amen

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So Rich a Treasure

"But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

The experiential knowledge of God is eternal life (John 17:3), and increased knowledge results in a correspondingly larger and fuller life. So rich a treasure is this inward knowledge of God that every other treasure is as nothing compared with it. We may count all things of no value and sacrifice them freely if we may thereby gain a more perfect knowledge of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This was Paul's testimony (Philippians 3:7-14) and it has been the testimony of all great Christian souls who have followed Christ from Paul's day to ours.

To enjoy this growing knowledge of God will require that we go beyond the goals so causally set by modern evangelicals. We must fix our hearts on God and purposefully aim to rise above the dead level and average of current Christianity.

If we do this satan will surely tempt us by accusing us of spiritual pride and our friends will warn us to beware of being "holier than thou." But as the land of promise had to be taken by storm against the determined opposition of the enemy, so we must capture new spiritual heights over the sour and violent protests of the devil.

Lord, I'll set my sights higher and seek a greater experience of You. I'll not let the enemy stop me. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~