lest my soul faint

"O most blessed grace, which makes the poor in spirit rich in virtues, which renders him who is rich in many good things humble of heart, come, descend upon me, fill me quickly with your consolation lest my soul faint with weariness and dryness of mind...Let Your grace, therefore, go before me and follow me. O Lord, and make me always intent upon good works, through Jesus Christ, Your Son." ~from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis

for the sake of Jesus

"Jesus hath now many lovers of the heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His Cross. He hath many desirous of consolation, but few of tribulation. He findeth many companions of His table, but few of His abstinenece. All desire to rejoice with Him, few are willing to endure anything for Him, or with Him...Many love Jesus so long as no adversities befall them, many praise and bless Him so long as they receive any consolations from Him; but if Jesus hide Himself and leave them but a little while, they fall either into complaining or into too much dejection of mind.

But they who love Jesus for the sake of Jesus, and not for some special comfort of their own, bless Him in all tribulations and anguish of heart as well as in the state of highest comfort. Yea, although He should never be willing to give them comfort, they notwithstanding would ever praise Him, and wish to be always giving thanks.

O how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, which is mixed with no self-interest or self-love! Where shall one be found who is willing to serve God for nought?" ~Thomas 'A Kempis

4 peace

"I want to teach you the way of peace and true liberty. There are four things you must do. First, strive to do another's will rather than your own. Second, choose always to have less than more. Third, seek the lower places in life, dying to the need to be recognized and important. Fourth, always and in everything desire that the will of God may be completely fulfilled in you. The person who tries this will be treading the frontiers of peace and rest." ~Thomas a' Kempis

that he is and nothing more

"Grant me, O Lord, the grace to know what should be known, to praise what is most pleasing to You, to esteem that which appears most precious to You, and to abhor what is unclean in Your sight.

Do not allow me to judge according to the light of my bodily eyes, nor to give sentence according to the hearing of ignorant men's ears. But let me distinguish with true judgment between things visible and spiritual, and always seek above all things Your good pleasure. The senses of men often err in their judgments, and the lovers of this world also err in loving only visible things. How is a man the better for being thought greater by men? The deceiver deceives the deceitful, the vain man deceives the vain, the blind deceives the blind, the weak deceives the weak as often as he extols them, and in truth his foolish praise shames them the more. For, as the humble St. Francis said, 'Whatever anyone is in Your sight, that he is and nothing more.'" ~from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis

distracted

"O my God, do not remove Yourself far from me, and depart not in anger from Your servant. Dart forth Your lightning and disperse them; send forth Your arrows and let the phantoms of the enemy be put to flight. Draw my senses toward You and make me forget all worldly things. Grant me the grace to cast away quickly all vicious imaginings and to scorn them. Aid me, O heavenly Truth, that no vanity may move me. Come, heavenly Sweetness, and let all impurity fly from before Your face.

Pardon me also, and deal mercifully with me, as often as I think of anything besides You in prayer. For I confess truly that I am accustomed to be very much distracted. Very often I am not where bodily I stand or sit; rather, I am where my thoughts carry me. Where my thoughts are, there am I; and frequently my thoughts are where my love is. That which naturally delights, or is by habit pleasing, comes to me quickly. Hence You who are Truth itself, have plainly said: "For where your treasure is, there is you heart also." If I love heaven, I think willingly of heavenly things. If I love the world, I rejoice at the happiness of the world and grieve at its troubles. If I love the flesh, I often imagine things that are carnal. If I love the spirit, I delight in thinking of spiritual matter. For whatever I love, I am willing to speak and hear about." ~from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis

mercy

"O Lord God, just Judge, strong and patient. You who know the weakness and depravity of men. Be my strength and all my confidence, for my own conscience is not sufficient for me. You know what I do not know, and therefore, I ought to humble myself whenever I am accused and bear it meekly. Forgive me, then in Your mercy for my every failure in this regard, and give me once more the grace of greater endurance. Better to me is Your abundant mercy in obtaining pardon than the justice which I imagine in defending the secrets of my conscience. And though I am not conscious to myself of any fault, yet I cannot thereby justify myself, because without Your mercy, no man living will be justified in Your sight." ~From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas 'a Kempis.

faithful

"We are weak and unstable, quickly deceived and changed. Who is the man that is able to guard himself with such caution and care as not sometimes to fall into deception or perplexity? He who confides in You, O Lord, and seeks You with a simple heart does not fall so easily. And if some trouble should come upon him, no matter how entangled in it he may be, he will be more quickly delivered and comforted by You. For You will not forsake him who trusts in You to the very end.

Rare is the friend who remains faithful through all his friend's distress. But You, Lord, and You alone, are entirely faithful in all things; other than You, there is none so faithful."
~From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis


Revelation 19:11-16 [NIV]
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

draw near

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ~James 4: 8-10 [NIV]

***

"Man draws nearer to God in proportion as he withdraws farther from all earthly comfort. And he ascends higher to God as he descends lower into himself and grows more vile in his own eyes. He who attributes any good to himself hinders God's grace from coming into his heart, for the grace of the Holy Spirit seeks always the humble heart." ~From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis


Draw Me Close To You as recorded by The Katinas

in You alone

"Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities.

Let everyone else seek the glory that comes from another. I will seek that which comes from God alone. All human glory, all temporal honor, all worldly position is truly vanity and foolishness compared to Your everlasting glory. O my Truth, my Mercy, my God, O Blessed Trinity, to You alone be praise and honor, power and glory, throughout all the endless ages of ages. Amen."

~excerpt taken from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis

vivify

"O Light Eternal, surpassing all created brightness, flash forth the lightning from above and enlighten the inmost recesses of my heart. Cleanse, cheer, enlighten, and vivify my spirit with all Your power, that I may cleave to You in ecstasies of joy. Oh, when will that happy and wished for hour come, that You may fill me with Your presence and become all in all to me? So long as this is not given, my joy will not be complete.

The old man, alas, yet lives within me. He has not yet been entirely crucified; he is not yet entirely dead. He still lusts strongly against the Spirit, and he will not leave the kingdom of my soul in peace. But You, Who commands the power of the sea and calms the tumult of its waves, arise and help me. Scatter the nations that delight in war; crush them in Your sight. Show forth I beg, Your wonderful works and let Your right hand be glorified, because for me there is no other hope or refuge except in You, O Lord, my God."  ~from The Imitation of Christ  by Thomas a' Kempis

wait

The Voice of Christ

"Wait for the Lord, act bravely and have courage. Do not lose trust. Do not turn back, but devote your body and soul constantly to God's glory. I will reward you most plentifully. I will be with you in every tribulation."

~From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis