God is More than a Principle:

I have recently started a book called, “The Pursuit of God.”  The book overall is short, and the chapters individually are short, but they are filled with so much truth.  This chapter in particular I read today, was all about our real faith in God, not just faith in the mere idea of God, but really believing in the God who loves and cares about us.  

There are many people who I know, but I don’t really “know.” I have met them, and maybe even know their names, and what they do as a career, but I don’t know their true personality, at least in different circumstances than the one I currently see them in.  I don’t know their favorite color, or the foods they like, or even what they like to do when they have free time.  There are many ways we can treat God the same way we look at those acquaintances.  We don’t really know Him, but rather, we just know of Him. 

There are many people who I know, and most likely you know, who really do know a God exists.  They believe there is a spiritual world beyond the world we are in.  They may even pray every once in a while, and they may go to church here or there or even on a regular basis.  However, they maybe really don’t “believe” in God, the way God deserves to be believed in.  They don’t believe He is the only true one who can save us from our sins or don’t believe He is the one who is in control of our lives.  

One quote from “The Pursuit of God,” says, “…but for millions of Christians, nevertheless, God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian.  They go through life trying to love an ideal and be loyal to a mere principle.”  (The Pursuit of God,A.W Tozer) This really made me think a lot.  There are many people who are dedicated to a principle, to a theory or to a creed of God, but they maybe really don’t truly know God.  They don’t know His personality or the devotion He wants from his followers.  

The next chapter in this book was very similar in its messaging.  This chapter was a reminder for all of us, that God really is omnipresent. He is around everywhere.  He can be everywhere and anywhere we are.  However, even though we can know He is all around, we don’t necessarily act as though he is always around.  We can remember his presence in the church building or in the Bible group, but what about our homes and what about our jobs, or what about when we are doing our hobbies or spending time with family and friends.  Or even when we are struggling, or we are in a place we really don’t enjoy.  

God actually does want to know us, and he wants us to know him.  He wants us to know what he likes.  He wants us to want to spend time with him, not out of obligation or because of a general belief, but because spending time with Him brings us great joy and love.  It can be awesome to think about a God who is all powerful and a wonderful creator, but it is more amazing to consider a God who is full of love and care for all of us. 

A few weeks later, I was doing my new Bible Study of 1 and 2 Kings written by Lysa Terkeurst.  She was breaking down every king of the nation of Israel.   She discussed David and Solomon and how they had a similar sin and downfall, but they had very different reactions.  Both David and his son, Solomon would be tempted by women that were not their wife.  David had the affair with Bathsheba resulting in a pregnancy and then the killing of her husband, Uriah.  This was a bad moment for David, but then there is Solomon who would take many, many, many wives, like in the hundreds.  What made these two men different?  Well, David repented from his sin, and he strived to never depart from God again in this manner.  However, Solomon never repented.  He would be completely led astray by his many wives.  He eventually started worshiping other gods along with them.  

1 Kings 11:4b describes this heart of Solomon.  “And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”  The sad thing is, Solomon was the one who created God’s temple.  He had a “relationship” with God, at least in part.  However, Solomon didn’t fully trust or know God.  He was following a principle when he created God’s temple.  He was following and believing in the God of his father, but not the God over himself.  He didn’t care about knowing God to his fullest ability. 

I can definitely be a compartmentalizer.  I can put my Christian beliefs and thoughts in one area of my brain I save for when I am at church, or I am doing my Bible Study but then quickly forget everything I have learned in the Bible study when I go to work.  I can forget about reading about patience and forgiveness quickly when something very inconvenient comes up. I can feel I am a very dedicated Christian, but maybe there are just times when I am really just dedicated to the very principles of Christianity.  

The challenge for this week is to remember to really pursue God.  It is to spend time reading the Bible and praying to really think about who the Lord is.  What is God really trying to tell us after we read a particular passage?  What does he want us to learn about Himself?  Why is this particular passage in the Bible, and what does it reveal about God? Hopefully through that time, you will have a deeper understanding of God as a God, and more than a principle.