So then in the beginning man loves God, not for God's sake, but for his own. It is something for him to know how little he can do by himself and how much by God's help, and in that knowledge to order himself rightly towards God, his sure support. But when tribulations, recurring again and again, constrain him to turn to God for unfailing help, would not even a heart as hard as iron, as cold as marble, be softened by the goodness of such a Savior, so that he would love God not altogether
selfishly, but because He is God? Let frequent troubles drive us to frequent supplications; and surely, tasting, we must see how gracious the Lord is (Ps. 34.8).
Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153, Loving God, Chapter IX (from Christian Classics Etheral Library, made available by Paul Halsall).
Should we come to love God for Himself and not just what He has done for us? How do we go about doing this?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment