The Love of God

Satan’s most successful trick is to get us to race to false finish lines. He works tirelessly to get us to stop short and say, “We’ve made it!” He delights when he sees us fall or pull over to the wayside only to notice at the last moment that the finish line is still ahead. The apostle knew of what he spoke when he said, “I press toward the mark, forgetting those things that are behind” (see Phil. 3:13-14).

(The God Chasers, 73)

The first modern Olympics was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, where the game also returned in 2004 after the centennial event was held earlier in Atlanta Georgia in 1996. In 2000, it was held in Sydney, Australia. According to historians, the first ancient Olympic was held in 776 BC in Greece.

In the Olympics, false starts are common and there are many who start the race but do not finish either due to injury, lack of energy and the like. False starters in an athletic event get a first warning and after the second warning, they are usually dismissed from the event. No matter how much they prepared or whether they would have been first, they have no chance to show their talent or win the prize. An example was Linford Christie, the 1992 Olympic British-born 100m champion, who could not defend his title due to two false starts and was disqualified in the event in Atlanta 1996. I watched that event live on TV.  You can watch it on YouTube. It was a test of nerves. That race was won by Donovan Bailey of Canada. A more notorious Athlete in the event was Ben Johnson who, in 1988, tested positive for steroids and set a superhuman record of 9.50 seconds, a record he boasted would be unequaled for 50 years. Needless to say he was banned for life from ever participating in an Olympic event.

The 2018 men’s 100m current world record holder is the Jamaican-born Usain Bolt, who dashed from the starting blocks like lightning and powered on to the finish line, holding the Olympic and world record at 9.58s set in 2009. The current women’s world record is 10.49s set by the late American Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988, a record that has lasted for about 30 years. I love the 100m dash because literally, the whole world stands still for 10s while the events play-out and athletes, spectators and officials are all tense, waiting for who would win the race.

Pertaining to spiritual matters, Christ said, “The first shall be last and the last first”. That would be fun to watch, at least by the angels, except that it is a much more serious matter when there would be much weeping and wailing, and joyous moments for those who are truly first in the eyes of Christ. Jesus is the one who recognizes the efforts saints put in by His grace in promoting the cause of His kingdom and He will reward us in due time. As said in 1 Cor. 4:5, “ Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” In this verse, praise means reward.

In the Olympics, there are different medals. There is gold, silver and bronze medals. Gold is reserved for the best overall athlete or competitor, silver for the second best and bronze for the third best. There is usually no medals for others but they may receive praise or complementary prizes for their participation and sportsmanship. Those who do not win at all are sometimes cheered on to the finish line by the spectators. So there is a reward for participation and there is a reward for finishing well.

For the saints, the Bible says in 2 Cor. 5:10,  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. That is called BEMA, an acronym for the platform ancient Olympians stood to receive their rewards. A time is coming for the reward from Christ but right now let us identify clearly the finish line, and race well. Note that the race is not always for the fastest nor for the strongest, but sometimes time and chance may determine the victors and losers (Eccl. 9:11). That is where God’s timing comes in. As said by Paul, he was born in due time to be an apostle to the gentiles (1 Cor. 15:8). What if he was born a hundred years earlier or a hundred years later? He would not live in the same century that Christ came to the earth.

The work God assigned to Paul was clear to Paul from the beginning. He had asked God at his conversion on the road to Damascus, “what will you have me do Lord”, and God told him through Ananias the prophet, “I have chosen you to be my witness to the gentiles (Acts 9:6, 15-16; Acts 22:21; Gal. 2:8; 1 Tim 2:17).

So Paul knew what he signed for when he turned to Christ and preached Him. We may not have had the same dramatic conversion as he had, but nonetheless we are sure we have met Christ and are saved. Why are we not so determined as he to be sold out totally for Christ? Towards the end of his life Paul said in 2 Tim 4:7-8, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Paul saw the finish line and raced towards it. He had cautioned earlier in 1 Cor. 9:24-27 that a boxer who wants to give his opponent a technical knockout in a boxing challenge has to fight well and according to the rules. Are you fighting well? Do you see the finish line? Is your opponent wearied or is he wearying you. The Lord help us to accomplish and conquer. We have the victory in sight in Jesus name. Amen!

I know there’s more because there are people who encountered the “more” and were changed forever—God chasers! I pray, “Lord, I want to see You like John saw You! I want to know You like Paul knew You!”

(Tommy Tenney)

There is more when we worship God passionately.   David worshiped God passionately when he brought the ark to Jerusalem from the house of Obededom where the ark had resided for three months. God blessed Obededom and his household for his love and for housing the ark.

Fearful of God’s wrath for slaying Uzzah, David had abandoned the ark in Obededom’s house. God is no respecter of any man. Any man whose heart is right in His sight, God blesses that person. David hearing of the blessings God rained on Obededom now prepared to bring the ark to Jerusalem. God daily loads his children with daily benefits (Psalm 68:15). He probably unloaded all the blessings He had for everyone at the first in the matter of Uzzah, but when He saw David, the Levites and the assembly were not prepared for the blessing and the parade was not going to end well He kept all the blessings. Obededom having housed the ark after the death of Uzzah, God unloaded the blessings on Him. How great and good our God is! Obededom feared the Lord, consecrated himself and housed the ark. That godly fear translates to love. You will have something to show for your service when you serve the Lord faithfully. Obededom’s blessings was evident to everyone including king David.

So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.  And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household. And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness (2 Sam. 6:10-12).

David knew there was more than meets the eye. The ark is a symbol of blessings primarily, not a symbol of destruction. God wants to bless his people not to destroy them. As soon as David knew what to do, he reorganized the parade and did it with fanfare and a lot of animal sacrifice to God; barely stepping six paces before sacrificing another oxen.  David leapt and danced with all his heart and might before the Lord. However, David’s dance was not pleasant in his wife, Michal’s eyes (2 Sam. 6:16). She counted it as too lowly. She reproved him and said he belittled himself before her maidens. That incurred God’s wrath. She became barren for the rest of her life. The curse causeless shall not come.  Michal was Saul’s daughter. Saul had placed a curse on her daughter when he gave her to David in marriage. Saul also had murderous intentions towards David for the most part of Saul’s life. Perhaps for these reason, that David and Saul did not get along well, Michal lived a bitter life. Her father had died an inglorious death in the hand of the Philistines after consulting a witch. All these were well known in the palace. Other women had children that they could call their own but she had none.

After the processing, the bible says David distributed gifts to all that came including to those in his household (2 Sam. 6:18-20a). That was a good way to end the day. Everyone was blessed except Michal. There is more for everyone whose heart is right before God and who rejoices before Him.

I would rather chase after Him with joy and gladness and get His blessings. God chasers dance with all their heart and might before the Lord! Are you a God chaser?

Two-way Journaling

Joseph: I worship and honour you Lord. What should I do when others are scared to come near and worship you because of their previous dealings with you? Should I imitate them or be a channel to bring them closer to you. What sacrifice can I make to you even if it is unpopular?

God’s response: You cannot imitate them. Imitate Christ. You know I created you and called you to be a shining light to all men. For those who are weak in the faith, and the unsaved, you are my ambassador to them. Use the words I place in your mouth to speak the words of life to them. Nourish them and they will grow.  There are many sacrifices you can make to promote my kingdom, but I want you first before I accept your sacrifices.

Joseph: Ok Lord, I will look into my life, work on areas of disobedience in the past, and encourage those who render service to your kingdom dutifully. Thank you for exposing my inadequacies Lord! Amen.

And he said unto Him, If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence (Exod. 33:15). “If You’re not going, I’m not going!” Rings true, doesn’t it? “Where you go, I will go.” Sound familiar? It’s the mantra of men and women on a mission: the pursuit of His presence. “Lord, If You don’t go, don’t expect me to go. I’m staying with You. I’m only happy in Your presence.” Let this God chaser become a God catcher.

(Tommy Tenney)

Lord, I do not want to go presumptuously. I desire your presence and your assurance that you are leading the way. If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence (Exod. 33:15).

There are many places I want to go with God. There are many mountains to conquer and valleys to be filled. There are many giants and people that are entrenched in the Land that must be conquered. The journey is long Lord, and I will be wearied. Take me there on your wings of protection. Make me fly and soar like an eagles. Give me a lion’s heart to challenge and defeat all the enemies. Let your face direct me wherever you want me to go. I know by your grace and strength the giants will fall and be consumed quickly out of the land. Their tenancy will expire because you are with me and you said, “Wherever the soul of my feet shall tread upon, it’s my inheritance” Joshua 1:3.

Remove every hard-heartedness from my heart. Fill my heart with love and reverence for you my Lord and King. Lord, I want to see your face and glory, therefore purge my heart. Your word says I can abide in your tent and dwell in your holy hill when I do the following: I walk in integrity, work in righteousness, speak the truth in my heart, I should not slander with my tongue, do no evil to my neighbour, nor take up a reproach against my friend, I should despise a reprobate person but honour those who fear the Lord. You said if I swear to my own hurt and do not change; I do not put my money at interest to anyone; neither should I take a bribe against the innocent. You said when I do these things, I will never be shaken (Psalm 15:1-5). That is my desire Lord, and that is my prayer!

Lord let your shekinah glory overshadow me always – your presence that wraps around me but sends the enemy scattered in seven ways to their destruction. Let your angelic hedge surround me so my enemies will never be able to see me, penetrate or regroup. Lord I enter into your very presence and behold your Face and beauty. Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, Lord! Deck me with fresh garments of righteousness and holiness.

Your word says in Psalm 42:1-2, “As the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

I want to stay in your presence always Lord and behold your Face. That is my prayer Lord. I will only go when you go with me. I want to be a God catcher Lord. Amen!

My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me (Psalm 63:8). “Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.… And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.” That is, until the Lamb said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” Now Mary must follow the Lamb. “These are they which follow the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4). Our passion must be following Him. I join with the psalmist: “My soul followeth hard after Thee, O God.” I confess, I am a God chaser.

(Tommy Tenney)

Jesus was the “little” Lamb in Joseph and Mary’s household, walking around their house, perhaps clothed or naked. When he was a toddler, he was cheerful dashing across the living room looking out for his mother in the passageway, bedroom and kitchen, and perhaps asking, “Mummy, what are we going to eat tonight”. The mother must have smiled broadly and sometimes in her heart dancing and praising God that she had such an adorable cute little baby. He was an obedient child, obeying the instructions of his earthly parents. He hung around His mother, tender and sweet. He must have been a little baby to behold, full of wisdom, love, grace and truth. He was not a little rascal. The mother must have pondered over and over again from the time the Angel visited her, through the pregnancy and through the childhood of Christ, how special they were to have a man-God with them. They probably thought, “Would this child ever make a mistake”.

However, they remained a strongly godly family and were very prayerful. They knew they had somebody special in their midst as their child and God’s presence and angels were around twenty-four-seven to protect them. So from the moment of conception to His death on the cross, Mary was bound by her calling and endearment of motherhood to follow her Son all His lifetime on earth. They, by the presence of Christ, must have lived near perfect lives and followed the leading of the Spirit to preserve the child in their own parental capacity. It is clear they did not make a mistake in their parental duties to the child up to the time they escaped to Egypt to save the life of the child from Herod, and they probably guided the child appropriately in all his youth, if 30 years is used as a yardstick to measure the cut-off for the age of youth according to Jewish custom when the bright ones are said to have memorized all the verses of the Torah and can recant them from the mind without missing a word.

Here are two scriptures that give us a glimpse of the childhood of Immanuel, Jesus, the Lamb of God, one of which was a prophecy, rendered figuratively by Prophet Isaiah to an unbelieving king of Judah amidst warring unbelieving neighbours.

Isaiah 7:14-16 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us).  He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.  For before the child will know enough to refuse evil and choose good ……

The Lord knows how the minds of infants work and I do believe the mind of Christ was the very best without sin in childhood and all through adulthood. Before the child knew enough to refuse evil and choose good; it appears there were constant attempts to pollute the mind of the infant by satan, but He being the wisdom of God repelled satan with the word hidden in His heart and mind at conception. Remember, the Holy Ghost shielded the Holy Child in Mary’s womb.  The life in the word continued to sustain Him throughout His life including His temptation in the wilderness at 30. He first showed His gifting when He turned 12 and Mary was a heartbeat away when He over-exposed Himself as a responsible mother would do.

The second Scripture is Luke 2:41-52 ……  Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.

So we can say to the credit of Mary, that she, sustained by grace and the power of the Holy Ghost, played an important part in His infancy, childhood, and adolescence until the Master Himself took charge of His calling and destiny.

The part Joseph played was that he probably guided Jesus as an earthly father would do a son and taught Him the skills of carpentry, so Jesus likely made the best furniture ever made. We have little information from scriptures to go on more with this line of reasoning. Mary and Joseph were definitely God chasers. I wonder if this was a hotly contested topic in the days of the church fathers, about the role of Mary and Joseph, and whether they concluded Mary’s role was unquestionably important, beatifying her with sainthood and the status she enjoys in the Catholic Church today.

I want to be a God chaser like Mary and Joseph were. God chasers are those who chase after God and never let Him out of their sight. God chasers know the benefit of dwelling in His presence. They are ready to begin again and again, because they are never satisfied with a little revelation of Himself to their hearts. God chasers want the whole Person of God – they want Christ in all His fullness and glory, and the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit daily. They love the word and keep His commandments.

God chasers know Christ, the Lamb of God. They know His grace and Truth. They are willing to follow Him wherever He goes. They are willing to partake of His fellowship and sufferings. God chasers know a lamb is eventually destined for sacrifice; and that the Lamb of God satisfied all the requirements of Almighty God, shedding His blood for the propitiation for our sins. God chasers follow the Lamb to the altar of sacrifice, are not afraid to identify with Him and wouldn’t deny Him to save their lives. God chasers are consumed by the zeal of the house of the Lord. Those who love the Lamb, and are shepherds are willing to feed the sheep under their care. God chasers have their bellies full and overflowing with the Living water.  God chasers are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, are pure in heart and want to see God. They are broken and poor in spirit. They want to inherit the kingdom of God. They want revival and the want it to begin with them. They have laid all their all at the altar of sacrifice. They have their priorities right. That is the type of person I want to be.

Prayer

Help me to follow hard after you, oh Lord. Strengthen me so I would not be wearied. Keep me from all wolves and those who want to distract me from the Lamb as I follow you. Keep my focus on the price and the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Teach me to focus on things in heaven not the things on the earth. Lord, grant me the grace to be a God chaser strengthened in my inner man to follow you daily as I carry my cross. Lord, satisfy me early with your mercies. Lord, give me the grace to follow you patiently, holding your hands and loving you all the way. I confess, I am a God chaser. Amen!

The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God (Psalm 14:2). Too often we seek a “word” about us from the prophetic tense. How often do we seek a “word” about Him from the “presence” tense? There are those among us who can reveal the secrets of men’s hearts. Where are those among us who can reveal the secrets of God’s heart? Are there any who understand, who seek after God?

(Tommy Tenney)

God’s eyes run to and fro the whole earth to show Himself strong on the behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards Him (2 Chron. 16:9). He sends His signal to every heart on the earth including hearts in those nations that do not know God and when He sees a heart that wants to serve Him, He zeros in on that heart and strikes an accord with that heart. That appears to be the way He found Abraham (Gen 12:1-4), and how He found Balaam the prophet among the heathen, and it appears is the same tactics He uses today. Whereas Abraham served God with his whole heart and is known as the father of faith, Balaam ended up as a soothsayer.  When we seek God, we will be known of Him. He does not delay. He sends His emissary our way and tells His angels to fetch us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Remember the story of the prodigal son! The Father was too willing to have His son back. Jesus said in the “Parable of the Sheep”  that for a sheep that is lost, the shepherd would seek the sheep even to the mountains until he finds it and adds it to his fold of ninety nine other sheep that were not lost so his sheep will be complete as one hundred (Matt. 18:12-14).

Similarly, when God finds a heart that is right before Him, he is pleased, and does not have to wonder whether that heart will be lost forever from Him. In fact He goes all out to seek for that heart. Once found, He begins to prepare for the person’s homecoming like it was with the prodigal son. He throws a party and the angels in heaven rejoice over a heart that genuinely repents and seek to dwell forever in the Father’s kingdom. Our life’s journey as believers is to be guided by His Spirit and finally make heaven, seeing His glorious Face.

A perfect heart to God is a heart that loved Him as David did. There are other Bible characters that loved God despite their circumstances. They include Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in the land of Babylon and Hannah, the mother of Samuel just to name a few. God wants every heart to understand, turn from its foolish ways and seek after Him. He says seek me early while I may be found. Let the wicked man turn from his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let them return to the Lord and I will abundantly pardon…… (Isaiah 55:6-7).

When we seek a “word” from a prophet’s mouth, we are “cherry-picking” but when we receive a “word” from him focused at his “presence”, we are ready to receive what He offers us. That was the case of Saul who visited Samuel for a word about his missing donkeys (1 Sam. 9:3-20). However, when Saul had opportunity to talk one-to-one with Samuel and use the time to listen to him more intently, get the wisdom into his heart that he needed to be a good ruler, Saul did not allow the word to sink into his heart. I think that was the time Samuel began to have doubt about Saul, whether he would be a successful king or not. The prophet saw into his heart that this was going to be a disobedient king (1 Sam. 9:25-27).

We know what He offers us is always better than what we seek for. He says, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). When we are in close companionship to the Holy Spirit, He reveals the mind of God to us (1 Cor. 2:9-16). The heart of God is full of good counsel for His children. When we have spiritual understanding, we’ll draw it out (Prov. 20:5).

The heart of God is also like a deep well full of treasures. The problem is we do not understand how to get to it. There is a veil of foolishness that covers our eyes. If only God showed us a glimpse of His treasures He has for us when we fear Him and serve Him with perfect heart, we will be dancing on our toes and praising Him from morning until midnight daily.  Ephesians 5:17 reads: do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Seeking His wisdom removes that foolishness from our hearts. When we allow the word of Christ to dwell in our heart richly, then truly we have found the treasure of inestimable value (Col. 3:16), We will learn and pray about this in the New Year, 2019 by His Grace.

May the word of God be found on solid ground in our hearts in Jesus name! Amen and amen!!

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21). The people saw the lightning and heard the thunder—and they shrank back in fear. Instead of pursuing His glory, they ran from Him. So the result of their running from holy intimacy was that they died before they entered the promised land. As my friend David Ravenhill would say, “They drank from the river but died in the wilderness.” They chose distant respect over intimate relationship.

(Tommy Tenney)

God is Light whose magnificence no being can approach nor dwell in His sight in his sinful state. The Scripture say He is too holy to behold iniquity. He covers Himself with light as a garment but surrounds Himself with thick darkness that keeps Him away from His enemies. A sinful man is the enemy of God. You cannot breakthrough those billows of darkness no matter how many times you tried. God has to let you in to Himself if He sees you have a repentant heart. He is full of light in Christ and only His light through Christ brings us into His presence. Put simply, God yearns for man’s fellowship but it is our sins that separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). It’s God who invites us. He says come dine with me. He says come; let me show you the things which will make you marvel. If our hearts respond positively, the benefits are endless and it is for us and our children to enjoy. However, if our hearts respond negatively, it is an opportunity of sweet fellowship missed and a terrible judgement awaits us.

In this passage under review (Exod. 20:18-21), the people were afraid because of the lightning and thunder. God had displayed wonders and miracles before their eyes in the matter of the red sea and turning bitter water sweet at Marah (Exodus 15:22-27), so hearing the thunder and seeing the lightening was not the issue. They feared and quaked hearing God’s voice blaring through the thunder and lightning.  Moses had told them sternly what God said; “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” (v26). They shrank back because of the voice of God. The sinner runs when no man pursues him, but the bible says the righteous is as bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1). They were a bunch of insincere men who did not want to follow God. Their hearts lusted for the things of Egypt and the heathen lands, the cucumber and garlic, not knowing the Lord had reserved for them their own in the Promised Land. The truth is that they did not want to serve a holy God.

God’s holiness will either drive man away from Him or attract man’s hearts towards Him. Moses was the lion in the above proverb. He wanted to see God, so he walked towards the thick darkness. After all, he had encountered God in the burning bush, been a vessel whom God used to redeem Israel from Egypt, experienced God leading the people by a pillar of fire during the day and fire by night, and he enjoyed intimate friendship with God. God intended they live by His voice as Adam was in the Garden of Eden. Whereas God was craving to be their husband and lover, they were craving to be prostitutes with other gods. They set their hearts in direct conflict with the will of God.

The will of God was that He would lead them to the Promised Land. They paid a high price for their unbelief. They all died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb. Trusting God and walking with Him pays. However, the sinner that follows his own way dwells in the congregation of the dead. The hard-hearted as a group paid for their sins. God did not get the glory He deserved from the people. The people considered the holy things and the salvation of God common things equating these to what they would get lusting after other gods. They did not genuinely repent in the issue of the golden calf with Aaron. God considered them a stubborn people who did not want to experience His glory nor be intimate with Him. He quietly separated Himself from that generation hoping the younger generation would learn. That generation was led by Joshua, the son of Nun.

 Two-way Journaling

Joseph’s Prayer: Lord, you allowed Moses into your presence because He prepared himself according to your calling. He lived a meek life. I prepare myself after the order of Christ. I come boldly into you presence by the blood of Jesus and by the new and living way inaugurated for us through the veil, that is the flesh of Christ. I draw near to you with a sincere heart full of faith, having my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water (Heb. 10:19-22). You sight is indeed terrible to behold without Christ.

God’s response: Do not shrink back from me Joseph. The sound of my voice will lead you and not destroy you.

 Joseph’s Response: I love and worship you, my Jehovah God. I follow after your righteousness my Lord and king. Amen.