"We utilize God for the sake of getting peace and joy, that is, we do not want to realize Jesus Christ, but only our enjoyment of Him" -- Oswald.
Wow! How often do I do this in relationships in general? I use people to make me feel good. As long as I'm enjoying them (and this could include a wide scope of relational interchanges -- laughing, sharing ideas, working side-by-side on a project, listening, even crying and experiencing the connection of being understood or understanding), I'm in. But when the relationship ceases to be enjoyable (perhaps boring or painful or depressing or labor-intensive), I'm out.
If I want intimacy with God, intimacy with Jesus Christ, the relationship cannot be based solely on my enjoyment of him or about getting something from him, like peace and joy and eternal life. "All these things are effects and we try to make them causes" -- Oswald.
Not that a relationship with God would ever be boring or painful or depressing, but life can be and therefore my experience of God can be likewise tainted.
Oswald writes, "The test of our spirituality comes when we come up against injustice and meanness and ingratitude and turmoil . . ." Our inclination at those times is to retreat, Oswald writes, to run to our feel good place and look for God there.
Hebrews, however, tells us to provoke one another and stick together and look for Christ in the midst of the turmoil.
Intimacy is not about always feeling good.
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