Strip It Down

God is a person. Like any person, you must spend time with him to know him. As a father, I've learned the only way to build a great relationship with my daughters is to spend lots of time with them. There is no substitute. Not big events. Not expensive gifts. Simply time.

God wants the same from you. Your time. Not time working on the church Christmas service or outreach committe. But time alone praying and listening to him. I dare say that less church activity and more time alone with God will lead to a better relationship with God which yield a more content and joyful life.

Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, orgainzations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never staisfy the longing of this heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hallowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotitional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all.  A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God