Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ 2.8

Of the intimate love of Jesus

1. When Jesus is present, all is well and nothing seems hard, but when Jesus is not present everything is hard. When Jesus speaks not within, our comfort is worth nothing, but if Jesus speaks but a single word, great is the comfort we experience. Did not Mary Magdalene rise up quickly from the place where she wept when Martha said to her, the Master is come and calls for you? A happy hour when Jesus calls you from tears to the joy of the spirit! How dry and hard are you without Jesus! How senseless and vain if you desire anything beyond Jesus! Is not this a greater loss than if you should lose the whole world?

2. What can the world profit you without Jesus? To be without Jesus is the nethermost hell, and to be with Jesus is sweet paradise. If Jesus were with you, no enemy could hurt you. He who finds Jesus finds a good treasure, yes, good above all good; and he who loses Jesus loses exceedingly much, yes, more than the whole world.  Most poor is he who lives without Jesus, and most rich is he who is much with Jesus.

3. It is great skill to know how to live with Jesus, and to know how to hold Jesus is great wisdom. Be you humble and peaceable and Jesus shall be with you. Be godly and quiet, and Jesus will remain with you.You can quickly drive away Jesus and lose His favor if you will turn away to the outer things. And if you have put Him to flight and lost Him, to whom will you flee, and whom then will you seek for a friend? Without a friend you can not live long, and if Jesus is not your friend above all you shall be very sad and desolate. Madly, therefore, do you if you trust or find joy in any other. It is preferable to have the whole world against you, than Jesus offended with you. Therefore of all that are dear to you, let Jesus be specially loved.

4. Let all be loved for Jesus' sake, but Jesus for His own. Jesus Christ alone is to be specially loved, for He alone is found good and faithful above all friends. For His sake and in Him, both enemies and friends should be dear to you, and pray for them all that they may all know and love Him. Never desire to be specially praised or loved, because this belongs to God alone, who has none like unto Himself. Nor wish you that any one set his heart on you, nor do you give yourself up to the love of any, but let Jesus be in you and in every good man.

5. Be pure and free within yourself, and be not entangled by any created thing. You ought to bring a bare and clean heart to God, if you desire to be ready to see how gracious the Lord is. And in truth, unless you are prevented, and drawn on by His grace, you will not attain to this, that having cast out and dismissed all else, you alone are united to God. For when the grace of God comes to a man, then he becomes able to do all things, and when it departs then he will be poor and weak and given up unto troubles. In these you are not to be cast down nor to despair, but to rest with calm mind on the will of God, and to bear all things that come upon you unto the praise of Jesus Christ; for after winter comes summer, after night returns day, after the tempest a great calm.