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“I
count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...." ~ Philippians 3:8
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The Way of
Renunciation
A.W.
Tozer concluded that “if we would indeed know God in growing intimacy,
we must go the way of renunciation.” Most of us don’t want to know Him
that badly. Affirmation sounds far more appealing than renunciation.
We’d like easy change and settle for cheap intimacy.
It’s
not that we feel rebellious or cynical. Many of us want a deeper walk
with Him—but at minimal cost, please. We’d like a large dollop of God
on the side. Who wants a plate of just Him? And everything else takes
center-stage, at His expense.
We
hold firmly onto our ambition. We insist on our habits and hobbies. We
pursue pleasure and security, irresistibly attracted to our dreams,
consumed by a passion to achieve and a drive to succeed.
Conversely,
we provide safe harbor for our hurts, fears, anger, lust, and envy
despite the raw wounds they inflict on us. And much as we’d like to be
free of them, we feed them too by refusing to renounce them.
All
of these—the good, the bad, and the very ugly—rule in our hearts
because we fail to pursue the Father with intensity … and renunciation.
Even
as a pastor, I found myself at times more devoted to pursuing the
church than pursuing God. I satisfied myself with doing the work of the
Kingdom rather than walking with the King. My “calling” subtly became
self-serving. All I had renounced, at times, was the way of
renunciation.
God
created us to enjoy Him first, and any deviation from that biblical
truth—that creation purpose—ultimately yields little more than futility
and frustration. Yet we persist in our pursuit of “the other.” Tozer
observes: “God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course
of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.”
Will
we walk the way of renunciation?
Our
reservations are understandable. Renunciation sounds like a descent
into passivity, aimlessness, and nothingness. But biblical renunciation
never leaves a void. Jesus invites us to take up our cross … and follow
Him. It’s a breathless step to take, and requires more courage than
most of us can muster. But deep, rich, and authentic intimacy with God
requires His exclusive access to the throne of our hearts.
What
have we grown to love more than Him?
Will
we bravely walk the way of renunciation?
In
HOPE –
David
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