The prophet David asked the following:
“Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place?”
The same prophet gives the answer:“He that is innocent in hands and pure in heart, who hath not received his soul in vain” (Ps. 23:3-4).
A person receives something in vain when he does
not use it for the purpose for which he initially acquired it. For example, if we acquire a piece of clothing, or shoes, or something else similar, and
we never ever wear it, it is in vain that we gained possession of them.
Similarly, it is in vain that we received our soul if
we do not cooperate and work with it in order to fulfill and execute the purposes for which God
created us. God gave us our memory so we can
think of Him; He gave us our mind in order to come to know Him; He gave us desire so we can
love Him. Thus, we are obligated to love Him with all our heart and to serve Him all the days of our lives, in order to attain and be able to enjoy the glory for which we have been destined.
Whoever has a soul but does not live with virtuous conduct resembles the animals. Whoever has a mind that is completely occupied and surrendered to acquiring honor and wealth, and whoever
desires only temporary goods has received his soul in vain, because the Lord did not create the soul for these functions. Divine bliss is your ultimate goal, O man! Neither wealth, nor education, nor any other similar thing can ever make you content or provide you with any satisfaction. Raise your eyes you poor man!
Lift your heart away from the soul-harming desires and the pursuit of temporary things, and love God alone, for this is why He created you. Despise and disregard every secular and sinful pleasure, if you want to attain the sought-after goal and purposeful end for which you were created; that is, the Kingdom of Heaven, where you will enjoy and delight in our wondrous God. In His absence, you will never be able to experience perfect joy or enjoyment.
from the book The Salvation of Sinners
