Sharing the Light and Love of God

to a Dark World

“A man is raised up from earth by two wings –simplicity and purity. There must be simplicity in his intention and purity in his desire. Simplicity leads to God, purity embraces and enjoys Him. If your heart is 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 neighbor, 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 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 in heart certainly possess it; and if there be anguish and affliction anywhere, an evil conscience knows it too well.

An 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 bravely in the ways of God, then he thinks those things less difficult which he thought so hard before. (Thomas A Kempis “The imitation of Christ)

We live in a complex world today. It is so hard to find simplicity. It is so hard to turn our hearts to God. We are carrying so many hurts in our hearts. We have such a hard time having the welfare of our neighbor first in our minds and hearts. If we are to walk with God, we must have purity of mind and unity of purpose. We must allow Him to change our hearts so that our walk will be purity of mind and unity of purpose.

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier that I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)