Devotions from thoughts by Michael Molinos in The Spiritual Guide

Sometimes we feel far from what God wants us to be.  We may tell the Lord we want to draw closer to Him for we realize there is much of our soul that is not yet possessed by Him. But to know His pure love means the cross and denial of ourselves, which is totally voluntary. It means accepting all things that come into our lives with humility and seeking only to fulfill His divine will.  We are most happy when we die to our self-nature and find His perfect peace and pure love. “The believer who leaves ALL to find the Lord begins to possess all for eternity.”  When we are new believers doing things for Him is a delight.  As we go on in our Christian life, suffering becomes part of our life as we die to ourselves. When we die to our self- nature we can’t be hurt by someone else.  We realize that God has permitted this grievance to fall into our life to humble us and cause us to turn to Him. But as we do we find great inner peace and joy. Any self love which reigns in us stands as a hindrance to peace.