God Attachment by Dr. Tim Clinton & Dr. Joshua Straub

God Attachment by Dr. Tim Clinton & Dr. Joshua Straub

Author:Dr. Tim Clinton & Dr. Joshua Straub
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howard Books
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00


John of the Cross’s description of a path toward a deeper love for God in the 1500s is not far from what we see today scientifically and experientially. When we come to know God, we do so with the same selfish hang-ups we had prior to believing. But it’s the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts and lives that ultimately removes the selfish motives and desires to move us toward a deeper relationship with him—one that is more focused on serving him, not ourselves.

This is why Jesus likens his relationship with believers to that of marriage. 13 Truly loving your spouse is about moving from a selfish love based on passion and romance to a purely selfless love based on intimacy and grace. It’s as if God nurtures our spirit and allows us to experience the pleasure of knowing him for a while before taking us deeper into our understanding of his grace and our love for him.

The Bible says that once we are saved we are gifted and blessed “with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” 14 Salvation is not the end, but many a good believer treats it as such. And in so doing, he or she fails to nurture a level of relationship with God that is ever-growing love, away from love for pleasure’s sake and toward a love for God’s sake. Picture David’s desire for a relationship with God: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” 15

Talk about a prayer of pursuit, Moses’ conversation with God is the perfect example of a growing maturity for love of God: “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you . [and] if your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. Now show me your glory.” 16 Moses wanted to learn from God. He wanted to be in his presence at all times. And most important, his desire was for the glory of God. Period.

Unhappy, let alone angry, religious people provide more persuasive arguments for atheism and secularism than do all the arguments of atheists.

—Dennis Prager 17

Paths to God

The Bible outlines two different ways that people seek salvation and make sense of life. One is the constant pursuit of grace. Grace is the complete responsiveness to God that flows out of our recognition that we can’t possibly make it on our own. Our sins are too big and dark and innumerable, and our resources are far too tiny to matter. We turn to God and plead, “God have mercy on me!” And, amazingly, he does; for justice in our matter would call for a searing punishment as the necessary judicial price for our overwhelming sinfulness. This path, no doubt, is the narrow one that very few people choose consistently and completely. 18

The second way is



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