Monday, September 25, 2006

Thoughts on Communion with God as Friendship

Thomas Goodwin offers these thoughts on communion with God as friendship, and how this concept should shape our devotional life. Do we serve out of duty or delight?

Mutual communion is the soul of all true friendship and a familiar converse with a friend hath the greatest sweetness in it ... [so] besides the common tribute of daily worship you owe to [God], take occasionto come into his presence on purpose to have communion with him. This is truly friendly, for friendship is most maintained and kept up by visits; and these, the more free and less occasioned by urgent business ... they are, the more friendly they are. ... We use to check our friends with this upbraiding, You still [always] come when you have some business, but when will you come to see me? ... When thou comest into his presnce, be telling him still how well thou lovest him; labour to abound in expressions of that kind, than which ... there is nothing more taking with the heart of any friend.

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As cited in JI Packer, A Quest for Godliness (Wheaton: Crossway, 1990), 208.

2 comments:

Mark D. Smith said...

Hey man,

I got a question for you.

Could you email me your email address so that I can ask you?

My email is smithdmark@gmail.com

Thanks.

Jonathan Moorhead said...

Great quote from a great book.