"A man is raised up from the earth by two wings - simplicity and purity. There must be simplicity in his intention and purity in his desires. Simplicity leads to God, purity embraces and enjoys Him."
I love that last sentence: "Simplicity leads to God, purity embraces and enjoys Him."
Those are the words of Thomas à Kempis (1379 - 1471), in his book "The Imitation of Christ." Second only to the Bible as a source of religious instruction and Christian devotion, this is a true treasure of the church. I wish I'd have discovered and read it sooner.
Anyways, simplicity and purity are two characteristics of being a follower of Jesus that I want to explore further. The more I read the gospels, the more I see Jesus' call upon us as one of simple devotion to Him, avoiding the many trappings that our culture tries to seduce us with. Furthermore, purity is also an ongoing call that Jesus calls us to, lest we be distracted and fall by the wayside.
Therefore, I do not see these as unatainable "ideals", but rather, true marks of disciples of Jesus, that require constant grace from God upon us, his weak children, and our constant dependence upon Him, and yes, very hard work.
So there, those are my goals for this next year. Indeed, I expect these two marks to lead me along the straight and narrow path for the rest of my life.
Thomas à Kempis*:
"If your heart be free from ill-ordered affection, no good deed will be difficult for you. If you aim at and seek after nothing but the pleasure of God and the welfare of your neighbour, you will enjoy freedom within."
"If your heart were right, then every created thing would be a mirror of life for you and a book of holy teaching, for there is no creature so small and worthless that it does not show forth the goodness of God. If inwardly you were good and pure, you would see all things clearly and understand them rightly, for a pure heart penetrates to heaven and hell, and as a man is within, so he judges what is without. If there be joy in the world, the pure of heart certainly possess it; and if there be anguish and affliction anywhere, an evil conscience knows it too well."
As iron cast into fire loses its rust and becomes glowing white, so he who turns completely to God is stripped of his sluggishness and changed into a new man. When a man begins to grow lax, he fears a little toil and welcomes external comfort but when he begins perfectly to conquer himself and to walk manfully in the ways of God, then he thinks those things less difficult which he thought so hard before."
* Translated by Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton. Mineola, New York: Dover, 2003. Page 32.
I love that last sentence: "Simplicity leads to God, purity embraces and enjoys Him."
Those are the words of Thomas à Kempis (1379 - 1471), in his book "The Imitation of Christ." Second only to the Bible as a source of religious instruction and Christian devotion, this is a true treasure of the church. I wish I'd have discovered and read it sooner.
Anyways, simplicity and purity are two characteristics of being a follower of Jesus that I want to explore further. The more I read the gospels, the more I see Jesus' call upon us as one of simple devotion to Him, avoiding the many trappings that our culture tries to seduce us with. Furthermore, purity is also an ongoing call that Jesus calls us to, lest we be distracted and fall by the wayside.
Therefore, I do not see these as unatainable "ideals", but rather, true marks of disciples of Jesus, that require constant grace from God upon us, his weak children, and our constant dependence upon Him, and yes, very hard work.
So there, those are my goals for this next year. Indeed, I expect these two marks to lead me along the straight and narrow path for the rest of my life.
Thomas à Kempis*:
"If your heart be free from ill-ordered affection, no good deed will be difficult for you. If you aim at and seek after nothing but the pleasure of God and the welfare of your neighbour, you will enjoy freedom within."
"If your heart were right, then every created thing would be a mirror of life for you and a book of holy teaching, for there is no creature so small and worthless that it does not show forth the goodness of God. If inwardly you were good and pure, you would see all things clearly and understand them rightly, for a pure heart penetrates to heaven and hell, and as a man is within, so he judges what is without. If there be joy in the world, the pure of heart certainly possess it; and if there be anguish and affliction anywhere, an evil conscience knows it too well."
As iron cast into fire loses its rust and becomes glowing white, so he who turns completely to God is stripped of his sluggishness and changed into a new man. When a man begins to grow lax, he fears a little toil and welcomes external comfort but when he begins perfectly to conquer himself and to walk manfully in the ways of God, then he thinks those things less difficult which he thought so hard before."
* Translated by Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton. Mineola, New York: Dover, 2003. Page 32.
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