The Point is Intimacy with God
One of the books that I’m currently reading is called Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. In the first part of the book, he is talking about the importance of the heart, since it is the center of our being. I wanted to share a few paragraphs that I have been chewing on…
“The heart is the connecting point, the meeting place between any two persons. The kind of deep soul intimacy we crave with God and with others can be experienced only from the heart. We don’t want to be someone’s project; we want to be the desire of their heart... Christians have spent their whole lives mastering all sorts of principles, done their duty, carried on the programs of their church… and never known God intimately, heart to heart… The point is not the activity—the point is intimacy with God…
“What more can be said, what greater case could be made than this: to find God, you must look with all your heart. To remain present to God, you must remain present to your heart. To hear his voice, you must listen with your heart. To love him, you must love with all your heart. You cannot be the person God meant you to be, and you cannot live the life he meant you to live, unless you live from the heart” (pp. 48-49).
I don’t want to merely follow Christ out of tradition or habit; I want to always have a hunger and a resolve to actually encounter the Almighty, Living, One-True God! It is such an awesome thought that God not only provides the way for me to have a relationship with Him, but He actually longs for me to really experience and know Him! I want to truly love him with ALL of my heart, soul, mind, and strength! So, I must actively resist the temptation to live a compartmentalized life where God simply becomes one part of my being.
Similarly speaking, my desire for our future church is that we would be a community of believers that actively helps each other move beyond a perspective of God that solely revolves around programs, principles, and duties.
“The heart is the connecting point, the meeting place between any two persons. The kind of deep soul intimacy we crave with God and with others can be experienced only from the heart. We don’t want to be someone’s project; we want to be the desire of their heart... Christians have spent their whole lives mastering all sorts of principles, done their duty, carried on the programs of their church… and never known God intimately, heart to heart… The point is not the activity—the point is intimacy with God…
“What more can be said, what greater case could be made than this: to find God, you must look with all your heart. To remain present to God, you must remain present to your heart. To hear his voice, you must listen with your heart. To love him, you must love with all your heart. You cannot be the person God meant you to be, and you cannot live the life he meant you to live, unless you live from the heart” (pp. 48-49).
I don’t want to merely follow Christ out of tradition or habit; I want to always have a hunger and a resolve to actually encounter the Almighty, Living, One-True God! It is such an awesome thought that God not only provides the way for me to have a relationship with Him, but He actually longs for me to really experience and know Him! I want to truly love him with ALL of my heart, soul, mind, and strength! So, I must actively resist the temptation to live a compartmentalized life where God simply becomes one part of my being.
Similarly speaking, my desire for our future church is that we would be a community of believers that actively helps each other move beyond a perspective of God that solely revolves around programs, principles, and duties.
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