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God as Center
GOD AS CENTER There must be somewhere a fixed center against which everything else is measured, where the law of relativity does not enter and we can say "IS" and make no allowances. Such a center is God. When God would make His Name known to mankind, He could find no better word than "I AM". . . . Everyone and everything else measures from that fixed point. "I am that I am," says God, "I change not." As the sailor locates his position on the sea by "shooting" the sun, so we may get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God. We are right when and only when we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position. Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. . . . It is no use. We can get a right start only by accepting Goad as he is. As we go on to know Him better we shall find it a source of unspeakable joy that God is just what He is. —A. W. Tozer, in THE PURSUIT OF GOD, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Christian Publications, 1948, p.100-101. [Lord, I have sinned. In your mercy, forgive me for trying to position myself as the great "I AM." Help me to see you for who you really are and to respond to you in spirit and in truth. Amen!] For other WORSHIP QUOTES by Tozer, see the WQOTW comprehensive index at www.wqotw.org/WQOTW_index.htm Have a great week, Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Music and Worship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky carlstam@aol.com www.carlstam.org www.sbts.edu |