Of loving Jesus above all things
1. Blessed is he who understands what it is to love Jesus, and to
despise himself for Jesus' sake. He must give up all that he
loves for his Beloved, for Jesus will be loved alone above all
things. The love of created things is deceiving and unstable,
but the love of Jesus is faithful and lasting. He who cleaves
to created things will fall with their slipperiness; but he who
embraces Jesus will stand upright for ever. Love Him and hold
Him for your friend, for He will not forsake you when all depart
from you, nor will he suffer you to perish at the last. You must one day be separated from all, whether you will it or will it
not.
2. Cleave to Jesus in life and death, and commit yourself
unto His faithfulness, who, when all men fail you, is alone able
to help you.Your Beloved is such, by nature, that He will
suffer no rival, but alone will possess your heart, and as a king
will sit upon His own throne. If you would learn to put away
from you every created thing, Jesus would freely take up His
abode with you.You will find all trust little better than
lost which you have placed in men, and not in Jesus. Trust not
nor lean upon a reed shaken with the wind, because all flesh is
grass, and the goodliness thereof falls as the flower of the
field.
3. You will be quickly deceived if you look only upon the
outward appearance of men, for if you seek your comfort and
profit in others, you shall too often experience loss. If you
seek Jesus in all things you shall verily find Jesus, but if you seek yourself you shall also find yourself, but to your
own hurt. For if a man seeks not Jesus he is more hurtful to
himself than all the world and all his adversaries.
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