All Things Should Be Referred to God as Their Last End
To be truly blessed, we must prioritize God as our supreme and last end, recognizing His sovereignty and giving thanks for all that He has given us.
Thomas a Kempis emphasizes that God must be the ultimate purpose of our lives to attain true blessing. He warns against the dangers of self-seeking and encourages believers to refer all things back to God, the source of all goodness. Acknowledging God as the giver of all gifts leads to a heart filled with grace, while seeking glory apart from Him results in distress. True joy and virtue come from recognizing that all good is from God, and we must return thanks to Him. Ultimately, divine love is the key to overcoming self-love and envy, leading to a life of true wisdom and joy in God alone.
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THE VOICE OF CHRIST
MY CHILD, I must be your supreme and last end, if you truly desire to be blessed. With this intention your affections, which are too often perversely inclined to self and to creatures, will be purified. For if you seek yourself in anything, you immediately fail interiorly and become dry of heart.
Refer all things principally to Me, therefore, for it is I Who have given them all. Consider each thing as flowing from the highest good, and therefore to Me, as to their highest source, must all things be brought back.
From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw the water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. He who wishes to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in his heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways. Hence you ought not to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe virtue to any man, but give all to God without Whom man has nothing.
I have given all things. I will that all be returned to Me again, and I exact most strictly a return of thanks. This is the truth by which vainglory is put to flight.
Where heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have place. Divine love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul.
If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all things and above all to be blessed.
Sermon Outline
- The Supreme and Last End
- The Source of All Good
- The Consequences of Not Referencing All Things to God
- The Importance of Referencing All Things to God
- The Dangers of Self-Centeredness
- God as the Highest Good
- The Importance of Returning to God
- The Burden of Self-Glory
- The Importance of Giving Thanks to God
Key Quotes
“I must be your supreme and last end, if you truly desire to be blessed.” — Thomas a Kempis
“He who wishes to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in his heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways.” — Thomas a Kempis
“If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all things and above all to be blessed.” — Thomas a Kempis
Application Points
- Prioritize God above all else and seek to glorify Him in everything you do.
- Recognize God's sovereignty and give thanks for all that He has given you.
- Avoid self-centeredness and instead focus on serving God willingly and freely.