Back a year or so, while browsing through a used book store in Florida, a book titled “The God Chasers” that seemed to sit alone on a shelf, jumped out at me and said, for the $2.00 written on the cover in bold pen, “Marlin, this is a book you need to read!” During this period, reading a few pages at a time – it’s message by a gentleman named Tommy Tenney required me to stop and meditate and ponder along the way – as my busy schedule permitted, and I’ve needed some extra “God-feeding,” I have arrived at the end.
The reason I’m telling you this is because two paragraphs in the final pages particularly caught my attention and I’d like to have your re-action:
The church is so enamored with the gifts of the Spirit that we don’t know the Giver of the gifts. We’re having so much fun playing with God’s gifts that we’ve even forgotten to thank Him. The best thing we can do as God’s kids is to lay down His gifts long enough to go sit in the Father’s lap. Seek the Giver, not the gifts! See His face, not His hands!”
Then, a couple of pages later, Tommy Tenney writes:
We can seek for His blessing and play with His toys, or we can say, ‘No, Father, we don’t just want the blessings; we want You. We want you to come close. Touch our eyes. Touch our hearts and ears. Change us, Lord. We are tired of the way we are. We understand that if we can change, then our city and nation can change.’
Beyond this book, I know virtually nothing about Tommy Tenney or the God Chasers organization/ ministry, but you can learn more by visiting the GodChasers website.
What is your feeling about what Brother Tenney has written here? Do you agree with what he’s stated here? Is this what you see in and for your life? What should enlighten be doing to further encourage folks in their desire and efforts to live closer to the Giver rather than His gifts?
Let us hear from you, so that we may strengthen and encourage each other in our walk with the Father!
P. S. – As I noted, this is a second-hand copy that I have of this book, which carries a copyright date of 1998. The original owner left this message inside the front cover: “This is the property of Ramon Padilla . . . a chaser of the living God and a living testimony of His mercy.” What more is there to say?
Marlin
