Our Passion and Pursuit
Worship Articles
by EXW Staff
August 09, 2009
– Knowing God Intimately - By Jim Feiker
8. God reveals the very secrets of His heart to us (Psalm 25:14; Proverbs 3:22, 32). "No one can expect to understand and receive the holiness of God who is not often and long alone with God." – Andrew Murray
9. God fulfils our desires because they are His desires (Psalm 145:18-19).
As I have done this study, two verses have jumped out of the pages of Scripture and revealed the heart of God to me:
Jeremiah 9:23, 24 reveals God's priority for our lives. He says His greatest delight is that we set our hearts to understand and know Him. Our greatest delight is not to be set on obtaining intelligence or degrees, a position of power and influence, or in setting our hearts on wealth and processions. Knowing and understanding Him is His greatest desire for us.
Then Jeremiah 30:21 offers us a great challenge. God asks a penetrating question that we must answer. Our response to this question will have its price tag, but also its great rewards. "Who is he, who will devote himself to be close to me?" How will we answer that question? Seconds into eternity we will have a whole new perspective. At that moment we will know what was really important and where we truly found our passion and priority.
Read what Joseph Stowell said as he evaluated his life at fifty:
"Turning fifty, as I did recently, was a real wake up call for me. I realized anew how much ground I still have to gain in my personal relationship with Christ. After years of fast-paced, hectic business of serving Him, I confess that I've spent
more time doing for Him than getting to know Him. I figure that I have one more, high energy run in which to maximize my life for Him. And I find in the deepest
part of my being, I want this season to be marked by a followership that springs from a deepening intimacy with Christ."
We have been focusing on revitalizing our passion for intimacy with God. Now we want to address some ideas on how we pursue and cultivate that intimacy, and maintain a God-ward focus and passion for a lifetime.
If you are like me, confronting these issues cause you to wrestle with the busyness and hurriedness of our lives. Noise and the crowds have a way of siphoning our energy and distracting our attention. Voices keep calling louder and louder for our attention, to pursue all kinds of other things. Our secular culture moves us towards comfort, performance, and materialism. Our Christian culture often emphasizes busyness and results of ministry. Our mission agencies urgently push for completing world evangelism in our lifetime.
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This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.