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Loving Jesus Above
All Things
The Imitation of
Christ; Book II, The Interior Life; The Seventh Chapter
Blessed is he who
appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the
sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to
be loved alone above all things.
Affection for
creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and
enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty,
but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened.
Love Him, then;
keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you
suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will
have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life
and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you
when all others fail.
Your Beloved is
such that He will not accept what belongs to another--He wants your
heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own
right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all
creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you.
You will find,
apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total
loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken
reed, for "all flesh is grass" and all its glory, like the
flower of grass, will fade away.
You will quickly be
deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will
often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If,
however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him.
Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself -- to your own
ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much
greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.
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Related Pages:
Favorite
Monks: Thomas à Kempis
Book
Review: The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis
Favorite
Monks Index
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See Also:
Plan
of Salvation
Memory
Verses; 2nd Set: Salvation!
Statement
of Faith
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Text
is in the Public Domain.
Logo, & Layout: Copyright © 2002 S.G.P. All rights reserved.
Skellig
Michael Photo: Copyright © Irish Tourist Board All rights reserved.
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Thomas à Kempis
1379 (or 1380)
-1471
Author of The
Imitation of Christ; Thomas was an Augustinian Monk, and a Disciple
of Gerard Groot. Thomas was a member of Groot's Brethren of the
Common Life, and a proponent of Groot's teachings, called
The
Devotio Moderna, of which
The Imitation of Christ is the best
example. _______________
Have you received
Christ as your
Lord and Saviour?
Find out how to do so on our
page:
Plan
of Salvation _________________
Tell others about
Jesus like Thomas à Kempis
did: Though
not all Christians are called to the ministry of teaching, we are
all called by God to share our faith (witness) with those who are not
Christians. Some Bible verses that you will find helpful for doing
this, and that you may want to commit to memory are found on other pages
on our web site (see: Memory
Verses; 2nd Set: Salvation!, Plan of
Salvation, and Statement of Faith).
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