Two books that I read recently were excellent and I thought I would share some “take aways” from them. The first is A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly. Originally published in 1941, Kelly’s book is a classic on spiritual devotion.
Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself. Yielding to these persuasions , gladly commiting ourselves in body and soul, utterly and completely, to the Light Within, is the beginning of true life. it is a dynamic center, a creative Life that presses to birth within us. It is a Life Within which illumines the face of God and casts new shadows and new glories upon the faces of men. It is a seed stirring to life if we do not choke it. It is the Shekinah of the soul, the Presence in the midst. Here is the Slumbering Christ, stirring to be awakened, to be come the soul we clothe in earthy form and action. And He is within us all.
He asks all, but He gives all.
Don’t grit your teeth and clinch your fists and say, “I will! I will! Relax. Take hands off. Submit yourself to God. Learn to live in the passive voice – a hard saying for Americans – and let life be willed through you. For “I will” spells not obedience.