We Should Listen to God and Not to Self-Love.
To truly hear God's voice, we must silence self-love and choose to listen in stillness and humility.
Francois Fenelon emphasizes the importance of listening to the love of God over self-love, highlighting the contrasting characteristics of the two voices - self-love being restless and eager, while the love of God is peaceful and gentle. He warns against the distractions of self-love that focus on flattery and self-centered desires, urging instead to forget self and allow God to be the center of our lives. Fenelon encourages silencing the selfish voice to hear the quiet but profound voice of God's love that speaks when we seek it.
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LETTER XXV.
We should listen to God and not to self-love.
I beseech you not to listen to self. Self-love whispers in one ear and the love of God in the other; the first is restless, bold, eager, and impetuous; the other is simple, peaceful, and speaks but a few words in a mild and gentle voice. The moment we attend to the voice of self crying in our ear, we can no longer hear the modest tones of holy love. Each speaks only of its single object. Self-love entertains us with self, which, according to it, is never sufficiently well attended to; it talks of friendship, regard, esteem, and is in despair at everything but flattery. The love of God, on the other hand, desires that self should be forgotten, that it should be trodden under foot and broken as an idol, and that God should become the self of espoused souls, and occupy them as others are occupied by self. Let the vain, complaining babbler, self-love, be silenced, that in the stillness of the heart we may listen to that other love that only speaks when addressed.
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Self-Love
- The Voice of God
- Choosing to Listen
- Silence self-love to hear God's voice
- Listen to God in stillness
Key Quotes
“Self-love whispers in one ear and the love of God in the other; the first is restless, bold, eager, and impetuous; the other is simple, peaceful, and speaks but a few words in a mild and gentle voice.” — Francois Fenelon
“Let the vain, complaining babbler, self-love, be silenced, that in the stillness of the heart we may listen to that other love that only speaks when addressed.” — Francois Fenelon
Application Points
- Silence self-love by choosing to listen to God in stillness and silence.
- Focus on God and let Him occupy your heart and mind.
- Forget self and let God become the central focus of your life.