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The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
The Seventh Chapter
Loving Jesus Above All Things
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"[12] 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.
