Han er skræmmende indsigtsfuld når han skriver, at hvis mennesker kender hele Bibelen og i deres klogskab er filosofisk velfunderet, men ikke elsker Gud og praktiserer nåde, er det intet værd.
Sladder(pressen) kan være et eksempel på, at der er mange ting vi ønsker at vide og kende til, som blot er støj i hverdagen og ikke gavner vores sjæl.

Hvis folk blot stræbte ligeså hårdt efter at plante deres dyder - værdi og etik baserede handlinger - i hverdagen, som folk stræber efter at stille spørgsmål, ville vi have langt færre skandaler i verden.
At landets ytringsfrihed berettiger at man printer Muhammed-tegningerne, gør det ikke til en nødvendighed at man skal krænke andre mennesker eller befolkningsgrupper - ligesom vi lære vores børn at tale pænt, selvom de er i deres fulde ret til ikke at gøre det.

Jeg ved ikke hvor meget jeg kommer til at blogge om det, men hvis du vil læse med kan du købe et livs refleksion for blot 60 kr. her, eller læse den gratis på nettet her.

Readiness.

Ready to enjoy God.
Ready to suffer for God.

Ready to be comforted.
Ready to be afflicted.

Ready to be placed in the light.
Ready to be placed in the darkness.

Ready to obey God, period. He will take care of everything else.

Often when I become too focused on worldy things, such as career or possessions or even ambitions, I forget that I am Christian. How can one forget? Well it's not that I forget that I believe the salvation of Christ and his resurrected glory, and the grace that comes with that, but rather I forget that my focus is to be kept fixed on the ambitions of God's kingdom.

And indeed, when I get distracted, I do lose what is everlasting and heavenly.

Because they know what is good for me, my parents sometimes will do things that I find painful or difficult. Take immunity shots, for example. I hate needles and their ouch factor. Yet my parents never hesitate to sign permission slip after permission slip for me to be jabbed over and over by these things. Why? Because a small bit of pain now could save my life later. This example, though trivial, reflects for me the way that God cares for His children.

Everything is done for our own good---even painful things. So it is with praise and adoration that we should approach God each day. If we find ourselves unable to do so, I hope God will give us a reality check and remind us of who we are.

I don't know how many times I've heard this same message: finding comfort in God alone. I see the reason for the repetition in Sunday sermons. We are told these things over and over again because we forget them easily in place of other things. I've written before about what type of things or people I take comfort in. I've written about why I should not take comfort in those things. Weeks after that entry was posted, I come upon this chapter and realize that I have nothing new and no improvements to report.

Yet it is so important, these reminders. Even if they only stay in our minds for so long. Each time I hear it, I find myself with hope that perhaps this time, it will somehow stick with me forever.

"Be with me, Lord Jesus, in every place and at all times. Let this be my consolation, to be willing to forego all human comforting. And if Your consolation be wanting to me, let Your will and just trial of me be my greatest comfort. " ---Kempis

"Lord, if it be pleasing to You, so be it. If it be to Your honor, Lord, be it done in Your name."

Desires. Desires. Desires.
I, You, God.

"Lord, You know what is better for me; let this be done or that be done as You please."

I dont trust anyone. I have learned this over the years. I am naturally an over-trusting person. I naturally trust anyone. I built up a guard over the years. I learned to protect myself against those who wish harm or seek a selfish profit from me. It's the business mind in me.

With my guard up all the time, it's hard to trust myself, or even trust God.

Where we put our trust, we give our lives to. I have to decide between giving my life to myself, or to God. A wise person would entrust God, only because God knows best. He does know all afterall. Why not trust the One who created us?

It's stubborness and pride that hinders me. Those are indeed 2 big vices that I struggle with. I really depend on humility to keep me in check in these areas.

---

With trust, I should see God's will and desire, not my own. His desire is wise, my selfish desires only hurt myself and others.

Pride > Guard Down > Vulnerable to Failure

Steadfast, Defend, Guard, Accompanied, Inflame.

We build up pride and our guard is dropped, thus allowing us to be vulnerable to our flesh.

I notice that I need to be humbled. When I become prideful, I anger easily, I blame others without hesitation, I seek my own desires rather than the desires of God, and I sin.

I should embrace humility. It is my death to new life.

It is not until any staff of the restaurant proves to me that I can trust them, and that they are ready to handle combat on the restaurant floor, I will not entrust them with any valuable information, further responsibilities, or obviously any kind of promotion.

Until I was able to prove to God that He could trust me, ready to combat my flesh, and entrust me to lead His followers in a ministry, or take on more ministry responsibilities, I would not be blessed.

To learn to OBEY is to submit, surrender, deny oneself.

I had to deny myself of my self-lordship, deny my flesh, deny my pride, deny my resume, and die to all these things so that the Lord could raise me from the dead and give me new life.

"Learn to obey, you who are but dust! Learn to humble yourself, you who are but earth and clay, and bow down under the foot of every man!"

con·cu·pis·cence [kon-kyoo-pi-suhns, kong-] –noun
1. sexual desire; lust.
2. ardent, usually sensuous, longing.

What deception the enemy places in our minds. The thoughts of self-fulfillness would be the path to abundant peace, what a lie.

Quite often enough in my pre-faithful days, I seeked to "get away" by doing some crazy shopping, drinking until I forget my responsibilities, or engaging into unhealthy relationships. At the end of the journey, I only found emptiness and my void for intimacy only grew.

To fight against self-desires, to deny myself for Jesus was the only way that abundant peace came upon my heart and soul. Only through the cross was I able to find rest.

The fight is never-ending. Even today, I struggle to deal with reality. When my parents fight, I want to drink and forget it all. I want to escape the world. To trust God, is hard, but it's the only way.

"Not every desire is from the Holy Spirit, even though it may seem right and good. It is difficult to be certain whether it is a good spirit or a bad one that prompts one to this or that, and even to know whether you are being moved by your own spirit. Many who seemed at first to be led by a good spirit have been deceived in the end." ---Kempis

This is a topic I've been wondering about lately. Often times, I feel led to do certain things only to lately look back and realize that perhaps I shouldn't have felt so strongly about them to begin with. There has been a lot of movement and shifting around of things in my life recently. I question. I doubt. I wonder. Some people may say that it's the quarter life crisis.

So what is the correct thing to do? Will we be to blame for mistakening something not granted by God as a God-given desire? I believe that acting with our best faith effort, acting with the belief that we are truly doing God's will during a time when we are moved, we will not be punished. The important thing, however, is to stop whatever it is that we were doing if we realize that this is no longer Godly.

Most importantly, as Kempis writes, "Whatever the mind sees as good, ask and desire in fear of God and humility of heart." No matter what the desire is, we must commit it wholly to God. Everything.

"How can he whose heart is truly subject to God be lifted up by vainglory? The whole world will not make him proud whom truth has subjected to itself. Nor shall he who has placed all his hope in God be moved by the tongues of flatterers." - Kempis

In today's reading, I think the passage above sums it up. If we had our hearts fully subjected to God, we wouldn't have the worry of being lukewarm or removed from God's grace. If we were fully for God (and not ourselves), we would not have to worry about judgement. Yet it is because we do not have these things that we have to be concerned and reminded. It is because of these things and upon these things that we will ultimately be judged.

Though it is sometimes difficult to humble myself before God, it is even more difficult to humble myself before man. I find that during those times, my pride is truly revealed. Kempis tells us to not just remove pride but to prove ourselves so humble that "all may walk over you and trample upon you as dust in the streets." In this lifetime, I wonder if I'll ever be able to reach that point.

In many ways, I have and do receive the love of man. These things, while winning me advances and special treatment, have set me back in terms of the humility that we are commanded to have. By gaining the favor of the world, I have put myself in a position of pride. To be willing to give that up is much harder (if not seemingly impossible) to do than it may appear.

After reading this chapter, I thought: Didn't I already write about similar topics many times in this blog? Yes, I believe I have. This conclusion brings up another question: Having read about this and other topics multiple times, what have I learned and put into practice?

Many times during this period of reading, I've been tempted to ditch a day or two. Thanks to Meow and his brilliant idea, the daily posting requirements keeps me accountable. I underestimated Kempis when I first recommended this book to Meow. This is by no means easy reading. Kempis writes like a monastic gangsta. I think Meow & I also haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with the original purpose of the blog. We wanted to use this as a supplement to our reading and our discussions. So far, our discussions have been few and our readings have been pretty much done on an individual basis. I appreciate the one comment that Meow left for me a few entries back, but other than that, there's pretty much no interaction between the two of us. I'm beginning to question whether we are truly reading this together.

As for the question of putting things into practice, I would have to say that this is done...but barely so. I forget the previous week's readings (and perhaps this is the reason for Kempis' repetitiveness). I am suddenly reminded of the studies we did in the book of Matthew in my small group. We often discussed how the pharisees were so focused on following the laws to perfection that they lost the meaning for why those rules were established in the first place. I feel, in many ways, maybe this is what has become of our readings.

Meow & I are focused intently on getting these postings up daily. This is not to say, of course, that we do not read carefully or post thoughtfully. Those things I believe we do. Still, even with that, it sometimes becomes a chore or an assignment. Just to check it off our list for the day. I feel like we've kind of lost the meaning behind why we are posting and reading in the first place.

I am easily excited. This is evidenced by the many projects that I've started but left unfinished. At the beginning of each project, I'm filled with enthusiasm and ideals. I envision grand schemes and amazing results. I begin and attack with vigor and an overwhelming impatience to see the final product. Yet I often never get to see that ending for I lose interest before the project can be complete. I leave with the intention to return to it one day. The new supplies purchased, the books unread, etc. They all get casted aside as well.

Kempis is again so right. I see the issue of well-meaning desire in so many aspects of life. At home. At work. Even in CAM meetings and small group. We get so excited about a certain idea or event. Yet we don't slow down enough to question or think further. We are biased by our own opinions, and we dislike it when people point out the flaws in our theory. At work, we don't question whether our actions are Christian-like. At church, we don't consider whether we are serving ourselves over God.

No, we shouldn't let our simple enthusiasms get the best of us.

- Do not be a lover of self, be a eanest doer of God's will
- Even in good desires and inclinations, use a little restraint
- Discipline our sensual appetite into subjection

We need to conform, to change, to be molded. Into what? For our desires to be aligned with God's good pleasures.

God is good. God's will is divine and perfect. God's desire is pure.

We should be pressing inward to God, to trust and depend on His grace, for it is unfailing.

If we follow God who is good, we will do good.
If we align our will to God's will, it will be nearing perfection.
If our desire is of God's it will be pure.

The chapter begins by Kempis praising God for his love, compassion, mercy, and blessings. Then the second half is how he can return all these gifts. Kelpis' answer is that God is worthy of all service, all honor, and everlasting praise.

Many non-believers who don't understand why Christians do things like feed the homeless, go on missions, and sing at church must first understand that Christians do it because God is worthy of all of it.

God has pulled me out of my wretched state, when I was lost and living life wasting away, and forgave me. God saved me. God equipped me, trained me, taught me what abundant life means. He gives me hope and continues unfailingly to provide for me, teach me, and comfort me, so that I may always have peace.

Kempis is saying that we too often seek to self and others first. When we are living life for the sake of honoring ourselves and the people around us, rather than with God's honor first, and everyone else after, then we become "dry of heart."

I think not only do we become dry of heart, but we also have dulled judgement. My most regretful decisions are made when my intentions are for my self.

"Indeed, by loving myself badly I lost myself; by seeking only You and by truly loving You I have found both myself and You, and by that love I have reduced myself more profoundly to nothing."

I often see many ppl who don't know Christ who are on this rat race to make the most money, to have the biggest homes, to have the most beautiful spouses, and all they want is more and more and more, a never-ending hunger for power and fame.

I think it's important to see ourselves through the lenses of God. That's how we can remember that we are His children, and that all of our possessions were given to us.

Book 3 seems to have a consistant theme of humility.

Often, we perceive our relationship with God as a "ME" relationship. "God please help me find a job."
"God please provide a boyfriend/girlfriend."

God is not Santa. Our perception of God needs to be humbled. God spoke the universe into being, spoke every atom and molecule to come together, breathed life into all living things, and loves us so much that He would sacrifice His son to suffer and die.

If God wants to teach us a lesson by using a hardship to learn to endure, we should embrace that hardship, rather than curse God.

Humility keeps our perception of God in check. We cannot appreciate God's grace if we are not humble.

I had a friend named Tim in college.. Every week, we got together in his dorm to do my math homework. He did my homework. I sat on his bed and listened to music. I hated college math. The lines and numbers on the board. It was all as foreign to me as the teacher's accent. My homework grade alleviated some of the damage done by my test scores. Without Tim's help, I would have flunked the class. Though it was an easy task for him, I remain forever grateful and certain that I could not do enough to repay his kindness.

Kempis also talks today of paying back for generosity and mercy. Of course, God is on a much grander scale than Tim. I'm certainly not even attempting to put them near to the same level. Actually, I'm not so sure that Tim is a good illustration for this chapter except to merely say that I still have hopes of being able to pay Tim back. On the other hand, I will never be able to do the same for God. Even if I were to nail myself on a cross right now, it would not be enough.

It's interesting that Kempis writes of an eager desire to serve and praising without ever growing weary, but he finishes with: Do You supply whatever is wanting in me. It's like...despite our desires, it will be God who has to provide the means to serve Him. I never thought of it in that way before. That we are not able to do ANYTHING on our own---even things that are supposed to come directly from us like serving God. We cannot even do that on our own. Rather, we have to rely on God---the one to whom debt is owed--to pay Him back. Why? Because we are helpless creatures. Creatures who are at the mercy of God.

I was expecting a chapter on loving God. This chapter was mostly about not giving in to temptation and obedience, as well as how to fight off the enemy.

Perhaps the point for Kempis here is that to be a true lover, you must learn to obey, even under pressure, with the enemy raining adversity in front of you.

For many, it's hard to keep faithful when times are tough. It's easy to trust God when everything is going well. When we get fired from our job, or when a relationship fails, we become angry at ourselves, and angry at God. The lesson of truly loving God is to be faithful, to resist temptation.

Usually I try to illustrate the point I'm trying to make with some sort of antecdote, but today, I could not. I thought of ways to flesh out my thoughts for today's chapter. I thought all day.

What is the purpose of all this thinking when I can clearly summarize my point in one sentence? Is it to simply fill the entry with words so that it would appear as if I put a thought into my responses? I mean, on certain days, there is just more to say than on others. The length of my entries does not represent the amount of learning I received.

Am I valuing quantity over quality? Today, I felt that I was tempted to do so. 

Yet the truth does not need to be covered with elaborate decorations or detail. The truth is strong enough to stand on its own. Today, I found this to be true:

All things begin and end with God.

abasement: to reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade.

Today's chapter reminded me of all the dramas I watched growing up that were set in China's imperial times.  Watching mainly for the elaborate costumes, I didn't realize that I was actually being taught a lesson about hierarchy. The characters of television dramas were divided into 2 teams: The Emperor and everyone else. The emperor was the highest, the most powerful, and always right. In the second team, even though some were higher ranked than others, everyone still had to submit and listen when the emperor made a statement. It did not matter who they were if they were not the emperor. They were simply not good or worthy enough.

In a way, we are the "everybody else" and God is the emperor. In His presence, we are but "dust and ashes." Like the members of the emperor's court, it is correct for us to bow down before Him, to proclaim ourselves as nothing, and to act on his command without question. Yet what sets our situation apart from that of the Forbidden Palace is the fact that though we are truly nothing, we are worthy to God. This fact confounds me greatly---so amazing is God's love that He would send His son to die for us. Though we are sinners, He welcomes us---in fact, wants us---to live in His heavenly palace. To share in His glory. To be His family.

Great wonder it is that I, who of my own weight always sink to the depths, am so suddenly lifted up, and so graciously embraced by You. ---Kempis

"There are many, indeed, who immediately become impatient and lazy when things do not go well with them. The way of man, however, does not always lie in his own power. It is God's prerogative to give grace and to console when He wishes, as much as He wishes, and whom He wishes, as it shall please Him and no more." ---Kempis

When we are faced with challenges and hardships, sometimes we ask God why He has turned His face away from us. We give up because of our laziness or because we are frustrated with God. We may not admit it (even to ourselves), but deep down inside, we feel like we deserve more. We wallow in self-righteousness. We forget that we are at the mercy of God.

I think this is a message (like many of the other things that Kempis writes of) that has been drilled down consistently in church. So why do we still forget? Why do we still need to be reminded over and over again? It is our nature, I believe, to revert to our sinful ways as quickly as possible. Without discipline---serious, painful discipline---we will find it difficult to change.

Also, in terms of grace, God's grace comes in many shapes and forms. It's not just us feeling very happy and God showering us with more goodness on top of that. In humbling us and challenging us, God also allows His grace to shine through. In fact, it is during those time when I most deeply feel and appreciate the grace of God that has been given to me.

Love is indeed a strong element. In fact, it is one of the greatest characteristics of God, an element that we were created with. We were designed to love, and with love comes strength. When we lack love we become weak.

I also believe that when you take out the element of love from decision-making, that decision has grounds for being unwise. For important decision, it's important to love God and to love the people in our lives, so that the decisions we make will be respectful of God's will, and respectful of those around us.

There is no greater happiness than the act of loving God. It's so joyful, it's overwhelming, every single time.