Does This Sound Like You? :
"I was astonished that although I now loved you and not some phantom in your place, I did not persist in enjoyment of my God. Your beauty drew me to you, but soon I was dragged away from you by my own weight and in dismay I plunged again into the things of this world. The weight I carried was the habit of the flesh. But your memory remained with me and I had no doubt at all that you were the one to whom I should cling, only I was not yet able to cling to you." (VII.17)
It strikes me that this is the condition of the entire American church today, and in this passage is the biggest reason that I enjoy the ministry of John Piper. Do I enjoy God? I mean really enjoy spending time in His presence, serving and worshiping Him, and obeying him? Here is where Augustine finds peace:
"I began to search for a means of gaining the strength I needed to enjoy you, but I could not find this means until I embraced the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ, who is a man, like them, and also rules as God over all things, blessed for ever. He was calling to me and saying I am the way; I am truth and life. He it was who united with our flesh that food which I was too weak to take; for the word was made flesh so that your Wisdom, by which you created all things, might be milk to suckle us in infancy. For I was not humble enough to conceive of the humble Jesus Christ as my God, nor had I learnt what lesson his human weakness was meant to teach. The lesson is that your Word, the eternal Truth, which far surpasses even the higher parts of your creation, raises up to himself all who subject themselves to him. From the clay of which we are made he built for himself a lowly house in this world below, so that by this means he might cause those who were to be made subject to him to abandon themselves and come over to his side. He would cure them of the pride that swelled up in their hearts and would nurture love in its place, so that they should no longer stride ahead confident in themselves, but might realize their own weakness when at their feet they saw God himself, enfeebled by sharing this garment of our mortality. And at last, from weariness, they would cast themselves down upon his humanity, and when it rose they too would rise." (VII.18)
And again, "I was quite certain of these truths, but I was too weak to enjoy you. I used to talk glibly as though I know the meaning of it all, but unless I had looked for the way which leads to you in Christ our Saviour, instead of finding knowledge I should have found my end. For I had now begun to wish to be thought wise. I was full of self-esteem, which was a punishment of my own making. I ought to have deplored my state, but instead my knowledge only bred self-conceit. For was I not without charity, which builds its edifice on the firm foundation of humility, that is, on Jesus Christ?" (VII.20)
How often we lose track of Jesus! It was Jesus who saved Augustine from his pride and finally gave him lasting joy. If you are a sinner today, He is your only refuge. God is a consuming fire who burns up his adversaries: why not come to Him today? I think even Christians need to be constantly reminded that Christ is our only hope and joy - anything in His place brings only multiplied sorrows. His yoke is easy and his burden is light!
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