Knowing and Enjoying God 18

Gretchen and Kevin

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' Acts 17:24-28

Augustine so aptly stated about God, “Thou hast made us for thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” We have a choice: resist Him or reap the rewards of diligently seeking him.

Scripture clearly personifies God as a loving Personality who dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive His manifestation.

Though God is spirit, he is a personal being, and as such, fondness and enjoyment can be cultivated with Him as with any person. It has been said that a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once written, but a book which is now speaking. God is not only speaking doctrine and theology but is communicating in the continuous present that He treasures intimacy with his children.

Do we cherish companionship with Him? A.W. Tozer said, “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in Him. Many earthly treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or, if he must see them go he will surely feel a sense of loss. But having the Source of all things in God, he has all satisfaction, all pleasure and all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in God and he has it purely, legitimately and forever.”

It’s a little like a front page photograph that graced the American newspapers many years ago, picturing John-John Kennedy as a little boy playing under his father’s desk. Though his dad was the president of the United States and though the office was occupied that day by world-renown dignitaries, John-John had complete access to his father. A tug on his dad’s pant leg would have secured immediate attention.

A tug at God's "pantleg" occured some years back when my daughter Gretchen and I were going through her proposed budget. She had just finished raising her support to become a staff member of Campus Crusade for Christ. Her living expense allotment was $750 per month and we were having a difficult time projecting how that amount would stretch – especially covering the categories of long distance phone and clothes.

The U-haul was packed and off we trekked from Birmingham, Ala to Ann Arbor, Michigan for her ministry to the Wolverines. As Gretchen checked in with apartment management, she was told that a promotion was being staged. “Pick a duck,” she was told, it will have a slip of paper in it that will indicate a certain amount of free rent (at least one month) or have words written “pick another duck.’

A tub of water where about 75 plastic ducks floated, awaited Gretchen. Her first selection read “pick another duck. ” And so did her next two and two more picked by her mother and a friend. The sixth duck pronounced this message “one year free rent.” Incredible. Over $8300 for Gretchen and her two roommates.

God’s financial resources for Gretchen were not determined by her salary. That experience was a tremendous faith-builder for all of us. Thank you Abba PaPa!