The Fruit of Loving Obedience

"And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart ... to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul" (Deuteronomy 30:6)

Obedience is both the evidence and the definition of our love for Christ and the condition for receiving the Holy Spirit. We demonstrate our love not simply in an intellectual comprehension of Christ's teachings but by applying them to our lives.

A young married man once called on me expressing a desire to be filled with the Spirit. Prompted by the Spirit, I said, "Go and do the next thing God tells you to do!" He left my study hurt that I had not taken more time with him.

For several weeks I did not see the fellow. When he called again, I knew by looking that had fulfilled the desire of his heart. He confided that at the time he had called on me, he and his wife were estranged. The "next thing God told him to do" was to go to the city where his wife was staying and be reconciled to her. He obeyed the voice of God, and his obedience resulted in the indwelling of the Holy Counselor. As one preacher put it, "Obedience is always followed by blessing!"

God being who He is must have obedience from His creatures. Man being who he is must render that obedience.

~A. W. Tozer~

_______________________

A Sense of the Presence

"When he came down from the mount ... Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him" (Exodus 34:29)

I have met a few of God's saints who appeared to have this holy brightness upon them, but they did not know it because of their humility and gentleness of spirit. I do not hesitate to confess that my fellowship with them has meant more to me than all of  the teaching I have ever received.

I do stand deeply indebted to every Bible teacher I have had through the years, but they did little but instruct my head. The brethren I have know who had this strange and mysterious quality and awareness of God's Person and Presence instructed my heart.

Do we understand what a gracious thing it is to be able to say of a man, a brother in the Lord, "He is truly a man of God"? He doesn't have to tell us that, but he lives quietly and confidently day by day with the sense of this mysterious, awe-inspiring Presence that means more than all the glib tongues in the world!

Nothing is necessary for you in maintaining a triumphant Christian life but just to put yourself in where the power is. Come unto God, unite yourself to God, and the doing power you have is infinite! - and none the less yours because it is His.

~A. W. Tozer~