Do not take pride in your education and wisdom because these are of no help to you, unless your
knowledge helps to improve your conduct and way of life. If the knowledge you acquire does not increase your love for God, then it actually
becomes a cause of greater blindness for you.
When darkness covered the entire land of Egypt, there was broad daylight for the servants of God:
“And there was thick darkness in all the land
of Egypt for three days. No one saw his brother for three days; nor did anyone rise from his bed
for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings”(Ex.10:23).
When a person is void of the love of God, even if he happens to be the wisest of men, he will always
remain and walk in the darkness—for only the love of God enlightens the mind. In the absence of this light, even if you possess the wisdom of
Solomon, you will walk as the Egyptians within darkness.
Do not have confidence in your wealth or in any other temporary thing because all such things
deteriorate and become worthless. A judge who makes a verdict without first listening to both parties lacks common sense.
If you have a preference for the things of this
present world, it is because you have not seen the heavenly and divine things through the eyes of
our precious faith. They who love earthly
pleasures praise and vote in favor of the world, and they choose the earth’s clay and dirt because they have never wanted to hear the other side, the testimony of the spirit.
Thus, they value and desire worldly things
because they have never seen or experienced
the things of God. When someone tastes the grace of the Spirit, he then despises the flesh; and when someone adequately experiences the grace of God, he henceforth completely disregards all the pleasures of the flesh.
Therefore, do not be overcome by the sensual pleasures of the flesh lest you become similar to the animals,as the prophet David states:
“Man, being in honor, did not understand; he is compared to the mindless animals, and is become like unto them”(Ps. 48:20).
In other words, man, who was created with so
much honor and nobility by God, did not
understand the purpose for which he was created; rather, he became like the irrational animals. He did not perceive what lies ahead (i.e. the bitter
end of worldly vanity). He only paid attention to and was captivated by the momentary honor and pleasure that was in front of him, without
considering and taking into account the future retribution that awaited him.
from the book The Salvation of Sinners
