A.W. Tozer | Craig T. Owens

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Blessing Of Becoming

May 2, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

“When our Lord looked at us, He saw not only what we were—He was faithful in seeing what we could become! He took away the curse of being and gave us the glorious blessing of becoming.” —A.W. Tozer

The word blessing in the Greek is a compound word made up of good + words. Just as Jesus blessed us—said the good word that He prepared us for something more than a life enslaved to sin—shouldn’t we too say good words to others about what they could become?

There is ZERO excuse for anyone who calls themselves a Christian to ever say anything but good words to others. If God only says good words to you and about you, how much more so should Christians be speaking good words to and about others!

Jesus took away the curse of being trapped as we were, and gave us the blessing of becoming who He truly intends for us to be. Let’s do the same thing for other people.

Make a covenant: I will only use my words to bless others; that is, I will only say good words to them and about them. I will speak only those words that tell them about the masterpiece that they are.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, blessing, Christian, God's love, Jesus Christ, quote, vocabulary, words. 2 Comments »

Failure To Recognize

April 1, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

The Apostle John opens his gospel account with these sobering words:

[Jesus] was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. (John 1:10)

Commenting on this verse, A.W. Tozer wrote:

My fellow man, do you not know that your great sin is this: the all-pervading and eternal Presence is here, and you cannot feel Him? Are you not aware that there is a great and true Light which brightly shines—and you cannot see it? Have you not heard within your being a tender Voice whispering of the eternal value of your soul—and yet you have said, “I have heard nothing”? This is, in essence, the charge that John levels at human kind: Jesus Christ, the Word of God, was in the world, and the world failed to recognize Him.

I never want to be guilty of failing to recognize Jesus! Sometimes in the busyness of life—even the busyness of the ministry of the church—I can become guilty of being focused on the activity, instead of focusing on Christ, Who is supposed to be the focus of my activity.

So we’re taking a “time out” today. As a church we are fasting and praying for 24-hours to cleanse our hearts to recognize Jesus, and to recognize what He wants to accomplish as we commemorate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday later this month.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, apostle John, busyness, fasting, Gospel of John, Jesus Christ, prayer, quote. Leave a Comment »

From The Library Of A.W. Tozer (book review)

March 31, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

From The Library Of A.W. Tozer is an incredible gift from James Stuart Bell to not only fans of A.W. Tozer, but anyone who loves the spiritual classics.

A.W. Tozer was a prolific and influential author in the Pentecostal evangelical circles beginning in the 1960s, but his writings are still influencing thousands today. In reading Tozer, it is obvious that the Scripture is his first and foremost text, but it is equally as obvious that Tozer was a well-read student of the classics. In this compilation, James Stuart Bell gives us access to Tozer’s library. We can read for ourselves the writings that influenced the fertile and productive mind of Aiden Wilson Tozer.

Nicely arranged in eight broad sections, you will read the profound thoughts of Augustine, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, William Law, Charles Spurgeon, Dwight Moody, A.B. Simpson, and G. Morgan Campbell, to name just a few of my favorites. This is a book that you will not only pick up often, but one that will whet your appetite to read more of these classic works yourself.

A wonderful read!

I am a Bethany House book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.B. Simpson, A.W. Tozer, Augustine, book review, Charles Spurgeon, Dwight Moody, evangelical, G. Morgan Campbell, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, Pentecostal, William Law. Leave a Comment »

A Treasury Of A.W. Tozer (book review)

February 16, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I find A.W. Tozer’s writings to be so thought-provoking. Even though his books were all published before I was even born, his writing always seems so applicable to me right now.

A Treasury Of A.W. Tozer is a good starter book for those new to Tozer. This collection gives selected chapters from over a dozen of Tozer’s books. It’s a good way to sample his writing, discover a topic that is especially convicting/enlightening/energizing to you, and then you know which full book to dive into headlong.

There are far too many quotes I highlighted in this collection to begin to share here, but let me close this review with one of my all-time favorite Tozer quotes. This is one which helps remind me that my agenda is not my agenda…

“The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, book review. 1 Comment »

Our Greatest Sin

February 11, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. (John 1:10)

“My fellow man, do you not know that your greatest sin is this: the all-pervading and eternal Presence is here, and you cannot feel Him?

Are you not aware that there is a great and true Light which brightly shines—and you cannot see it?

Have you not heard within your being a tender Voice whispering of the eternal value of your soul—and yet you have said, ‘I heard nothing’?

This is, in essence, the charge that John levels at human kind: Jesus Christ, the Word of God, was in the world, and the world failed to recognize Him.” (A.W. Tozer)

O God, I pray my eyes may see Your beauty in Your world around me every day.

I pray that my ears may hear Your unmistakable voice speaking to me every day.

I pray that my mind may glimpse more of Your majesty every day.

I pray that all of my senses may be enlivened to perceive Your presence surrounding me every day.

O God, may it never be said of me that I failed to recognize You each and every day.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, God's presence, prayer, quote. 1 Comment »

Buying Into It

February 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

There is something basically wrong with our Christianity and our spirituality if we can carelessly presume that if we do not like a Biblical doctrine and choose not to “buy” it, there is no harm done.

Commandments which we have received from our Lord or from the apostles cannot be overlooked and ignored by earnest and committed Christians. God has never instructed us that we should weigh His desires for us and His commandments to us in the balances of our own judgment and then decide what we want to do about them.

…Of course you can walk out on it! God has given every one of us the power to make our own choices. …We have the power within us to reject God’s instructions—but where else shall we go? If we refuse His words, which way will we turn? If we turn from the authority of God’s Word, to whose authority do we yield? Our mistake is that we generally turn to some other human—a man with breath in his nostrils. —A.W. Tozer

Notice that Peter tells us being holy comes before doing holy things: “Be holy in all you do.”

I cannot do holy things unless I am holy.
I cannot be holy unless I have the life of the Holy One in me.
I cannot have the life of the Holy One in me unless I totally buy in to His Lordship.

I’m buying in to holiness today. How about you?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, A.W. Tozer, discipleship, personal holiness, quote. 1 Comment »

Hmmm

February 1, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Feats of thinking may create reputation, but habits of thinking create character. —A.W. Tozer

If this is true, then I’ve got some questions to ask myself:

How do I think?
How am I processing the world around me?
Do I see the hand of God in daily events?
Can I find His truth at work?
Am I learning from what I experience each day?
Do I think positively or negatively?
Do difficulties cause faith or fear?
Am I thinking long enough?
Do my thoughts produce a Christ-like attitude?
Do I take time to think about my thoughts?

Two more thinking quotes for today:

Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. —Philippians 4:8

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, creative thinking, critical thinking, meditation, Philippians, positive thinking, quotes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, thinking. Leave a Comment »

Be Thou Exalted

January 28, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Love this prayer from A.W. Tozer (in his book The Pursuit After God):

O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear to me if only Thou art glorified in my life.

Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shall be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth.

Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it may mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee.

Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream.

Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, above my health and even my life itself.

Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase, let me sink that Thou mayest rise above.

I love it, and yet it is a true challenge to pray it.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, prayer. Leave a Comment »

Pursuing

August 21, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

“They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves” (Jeremiah 2:5).

Simple principle: I become what I pursue.

Pursuing things that will not last into eternity is worthless, and the pursuit of them will make my life worthless too. Allow me to elaborate with a few modified quotes:

“For where your [pursuit] is, there your heart will be also” (Jesus).

“All [pursuits] that are not eternal are eternally useless” (C.S. Lewis).

“But more than anything else, put God’s [pursuits] first and do what He wants” (Jesus).

“The impulse to [pursue] God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are [pursuing] Him we are already in His hand” (A.W. Tozer).

“But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each of us has [pursued]. The fire will show if a person’s [pursuit] had any value” (Paul).

“The true worth of a man is to be measured by the objects he [pursues]” (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus).

“I love those who love Me, and those who [pursue] Me always catch Me” (God).

“‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will [pursue] his principles unto death” (Thomas Paine).

As each week wraps up, I’m trying to remember to ask myself, “Did I pursue the right things this week? Were my pursuits eternal and God-honoring?” Good questions. Perhaps you could take some time to assess your pursuits too.

Remember, you will become what you pursue, so pursue wisely.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, A.W. Tozer, apostle Paul, C.S. Lewis, eternity, Gospel of Matthew, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, priorities, proverbs, quotes, Thomas Paine. Leave a Comment »

Anti-Sudoku Theology

May 28, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

I really enjoy Sudoku. It’s a challenging game of logic, and I’m (for the most part) a logical guy. I like knowing exactly where the digits one through nine are supposed to go, using logical deduction and inference to fill in all of the squares.

If I had my choice, all of life would be this logical. Simple. Neat. Well-defined. Clear. Easy. But, much to my dismay, it’s not.

If I’m following the example and teaching of Jesus, life with Him is anything but logical. Think about some of the paradoxes Jesus Christ taught and lived—

To advance, be humbled.
To have more, give away more.
To possess everything, desire nothing.
To connect with people (social), spend time alone with God (solitude).
To bring people in, go out.
To be a leader, be a servant.
To fill up with God, empty yourself of yourself.
To come first, come last.
To gain wisdom, become foolish.
To gain strength, become weak.
To live, die.

A.W. Tozer wrote about a godly man: “He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.”

It isn’t logical, but it’s true: God loves me. And the greatest of all paradoxes: when I was the least worthy of God’s love, that’s when Jesus came to die for my sins.

God’s love for me—the greatest of paradoxes—helps me live these paradoxes Jesus taught. And His love will help you, too.

What other biblical paradoxes have you discovered?