Click on the links to navigate through this page. Chapter Nineteen Background Chapters One thru Three Chapters Four thru Eight Chapters Nine thru Thirteen Chapters Fourteen thru Eighteen Chapters Nineteen thru Twenty-One Chapters Twenty-Two Thru Twenty-Five Chapters Twenty-Six Thru Thirty Chapters Thirty-One thru Thirty-Four Chapters Thirty-Five thru Thirty-Nine Chapters Forty thru Forty-One Once again, Tozer has done an excellent job summarizing the topic he wrote of. He hit the nail on the head on the page 80. Happiness and joy are not the same. Happiness is a temporary feeling, whereas joy is something we find in Christ. That is why it is possible to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS..." (Phil.4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16) when trials come our way. We will only receive true joy and peace when we put off the old man and live to glorify Christ. Tozer ends the chapter saying, "... we can afford to suffer now; we'll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves. And our enjoyment will be valid and pure, for it will come in the right way at the right time." Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." With this truth, let us be filled with peace and joy as we shine for the glory of Christ is this dark world. Sandra What wonderful insight by Tozer on p. 79~ "Against this background of fact our childish desire to be happy is seen to be a morally ugly thing, wholly foreign to the Spirit of the Man of Sorrows and contrary to the teaching and practice of His apostles." Later on page 79 Tozer states~ "Christ calls men to carry a cross; We call them to have fun in His Name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comforts modern civilization affords. etc." What a contrast-His call and what we call and assure.... Just this morning I was taking some time alone with the LORD singing some of the old hymns at the piano and I came across the hymn by Henry Lyte ~ JESUS I MY CROSS HAVE TAKEN Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee; Destitute, despised, forsaken- Thou from hence my all shall be, Perish every fond ambition- All I've sought and hoped and known! Yet how rich is my condition- God and heav'n are still my own! Let the world despise and leave me, They have left my Savior too; Human hearts and looks deceive me-Thou art not like man, untrue, And while Thou shalt smile upon me.God of wisdom, love and might, Foes may hate and friends may shun me- Show Thy face and all is bright! Man may trouble and distress me, 'twill but drive me to Thy breast; Life with trials hard may press me- Heav'n will bring me sweeter rest. O tis not in grief to harm me While Thy love is left to me; O 'twere not in joy to charm me Were that joy unmixed with Thee! Haste Thee on from grace to glory, Armed by faith and winged by prayer; Heaven's eternal days before thee- God's own hand shall guide thee there. Soon shall close thy earthly mission, Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days; Hope shall change to glad fruition, Faith to sight and prayer to praise. What wonderful words in this hymn that agree with Tozer's last paragraph... " we can afford to suffer now; we'll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves. And our enjoyment will be valid and pure, for it will come in the right way at the right time. Linda S. I enjoyed getting together today. Our next meeting will be on June 10, after church. Chapter 19 -- Joy Will Come in its own Time First published August 27, 1958 There’s a lot in this chapter. “The primary work of Christ in redemption is to justify, sanctify and ultimately to glorify a company of persons salvaged from the ruin of the human race.” (p. 77) “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19) We need to be in this world, but not of this world. Happiness is not the same as Joy. People try to be happy by making peace with the world – doing what the world says will make them happy. Joy comes from making peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Lisa Chapter Twenty Background Chapters One thru Three Chapters Four thru Eight Chapters Nine thru Thirteen Chapters Fourteen thru Eighteen Chapters Nineteen thru Twenty-One Chapters Twenty-Two Thru Twenty-Five Chapters Twenty-Six Thru Thirty Chapters Thirty-One thru Thirty-Four Chapters Thirty-Five thru Thirty-Nine Chapters Forty thru Forty-One Chapter 20 Temperance, the Rare Virtue First published September 10, 1958 Tozer’s initial description of America, if true in the 50’s is even more accurate today! I agree with his statement on the bottom of page 82: “When mankind fell, one effect of the fall was the loss of control”. Praise God for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to give us back that self control! “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB) As I read this chapter, I kept agreeing with Tozer. There’s no sense in my writing about it here. Again, as I go into the last week before Greta’s wedding, I can see where self control goes out the door in so many weddings. I pray that hasn’t happened with us. As I look back at my life as a Christian, I can see many instances where the spirit of self-control has saved me from temptations and the resulting sin. What are your thoughts on this chapter? In Christ, Lisa I liked the sentence on p.82 bottom and p.83 the top... "It is obvious to me that almost every sin is but a natural good perverted or carried to excess. Self-respect is turned into pride; natural appetite becomes gluttony etc..." I also appreciated Tozer's comments on p. 84 at the bottom about the 2 things that are needed... "temperance is not automatic. ...it requires prayer, Bible reading, cross-bearing , hard discipline and self-denial before it can become a fixed part of Christian character." "the second is that a man or woman in Christ who has achieved true self control may expect to be very much out of step with the world. " Another hymn that speaks to me is by Isaac Watts entitled ~ AM I A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS? Am I a soldier of the cross? a foll'wer of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause Or blush to speak His name? Must I be carried to the skies On flow'ry beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize and sailed thru bloody seas? Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God? Sure I must fight if I would reign Increase my courage Lord! I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy Word. I am reading a book right now entitled THE HEAVENLY MAN He is from the persecuted church in China and was imprisoned and severely tortured. Sometimes I am convicted about those "flowery beds of ease mentioned in the above hymn. I confess there are areas in my life that I lack self-control. I am waiting on God to continually help me enable and empower me in these areas. There are areas where God has empowered me to have great self control and I give Him the thanks and glory for these areas. Linda S. Page 84 Tozer says, "From His throne in the believer's heart Christ must reign over the ENTIRE kingdom of Mansoul with all its precincts and provinces....Temperance is that in the Christian man's life which brings every falculty into harmony with every other, and the total personality into accord with God's plan for the whole man...temperance is NOT AUTOMATIC...it requires prayer, Bible reading, cross-bearing, HARD DISCIPLINE, obedience, and self-denial..." It is not easy, but if we live for Christ and let His Spirit guide us it is possible! Sandra Finally, I'm finding time to reply to a chapter! Sorry I haven't been very active lately. Self-control is definitely lacking in today's culture!! What would Tozer say about 2007??!! For some reason, it seems harder for me than some of the other virtues; I'm not sure why. Is that only for myself? I'm not sure that the "world" really thinks upon self-control (at least in many areas) as a virtue! Maybe self-control is the key to many of the other virtues; for instance patience certainly requires self-control! Showing love to certain people definitely requires a level of self-control! If I had been more self-controlled, I would not have some of the problems I have today, that is for sure. Bethany I definitely struggle with discipline in certain areas of my life. I am the type of person who loves spontaneity and so I am always willing to throw my plans to the wind. It is good to know that God is in control. Sue I did read chapter 20, just slow responding, all I can say is...there is no way this was written decades ago! I am sure he just wrote it the other day. EXTREMELY CONTEMPORARY! Renee' Chapter Twenty-One Background Chapters One thru Three Chapters Four thru Eight Chapters Nine thru Thirteen Chapters Fourteen thru Eighteen Chapters Nineteen thru Twenty-One Chapters Twenty-Two Thru Twenty-Five Chapters Twenty-Six Thru Thirty Chapters Thirty-One thru Thirty-Four Chapters Thirty-Five thru Thirty-Nine Chapters Forty thru Forty-One Good Evening, Sorry about the lateness of this posting. I'm still catching up from last week's festivities. Chapter 21 -- The Dangers of Overstimulation This was first published on September 24, 1958. I think that everything Tozer talked about in this chapter is doubly true today. My generation grew up during this time, and the next generation is worse than we were. Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. " How many of us can truly "Be still"? How can we learn to rest in His word and wait for His answer? I find this very difficult to do. What are your thoughts on this chapter? Don't forget, we gather together after church on Sunday, June 10. Bring your mother or father's favorite dish to share (in honor of Mother and Father's day) and bring a picture of your Mom and Dad. In Christ, Lisa This was an different chapter and I'm not sure I agree entirely with everything Tozer said. Maybe it was just the wording. Anyway, our economy does need to be stimulated, and so do we. Maybe I'm just overstimulated and therefore desensitized to exactly what Tozer was trying to get across. If there is no stimulation, there is no action. Where, exactly, is the line between what's necessary to produce action and what's over and beyond?? Is it different for different people and different places?? Just wondering. Bethany the first thought that came to my mind as I read your comment is..."What about the Holy Spirit? Isn't He enough of Himself to stimulate? Does He NEED help from the world to do His job. I think not. However, He most certainly can and does use other means than just Himself." Renee' This chapter got me! I think I see Tozer's point. What I believe is that our emotions need to be stimulated, but our emotions shouldn't be what we base life on. God's Word should be our driving factor NOT our emotions. In the last paragraph, Tozer lists the only things he believes Christians should be stimulated by. What about fellowship, worship, etc...? Sandra What a wonderful chapter, all I can say is if A.W.tozer thought they were overstimulated in 1958, he would be blown away in the year 2007. It certainly grieves me with all the adverse overstimulation in our culture today. The sexually saturated society which is obsessed with violence is over the top. How very sad that so many in our churches are soaking up all this negative stimulation. On p. 87 Tozer mentions the word "boredom". It seems that word is used so often today which amazes me because I am rarely bored,but now I realize that that boredom comes as a result of this overstimulation. It is unfortunate that people today "must be constantly excited by external agents to make life bearable for them". We are a culture of constantly being entertained even in our churches today. I wholeheartedly agree with Tozer in the last paragraph..."No Christian should need any other stimulation than that afforded by the Word of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit and prayer. These along with the overwhelming needs of the lost world should provide all normal stimulation. Anything beyond this is unnecessary and can be dangerous." I say a big "AMEN" to that and I pray that will be true more and more in the church today. Linda S.