Thomas à Kempis: Beggar

Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores. Luke 16:19-20

Chapter 16 of this classic work is entitled “We Should Show Our Needs to Christ and Ask His Grace.” It’s short, here’s the entire chapter.

“O most kind, most loving Lord, Whom I now desire to receive with devotion, You know the weakness and the necessity which I suffer, in what great evils and vices I am involved, how often I am depressed, tempted, defiled, and troubled. To You I come for help, to You I pray for comfort and relief.

I speak to Him Who knows all things, to Whom my whole inner life is manifest, and Who alone can perfectly comfort and help me. You know what good things I am most in need of and how poor I am in virtue. Behold I stand before You, poor and naked, asking Your grace and imploring Your mercy.

Feed Your hungry beggar. Inflame my coldness with the fire of Your love. Enlighten my blindness with the brightness of Your presence. Turn all earthly things to bitterness for me, all grievance and adversity to patience, all lowly creation to contempt and oblivion.

Raise my heart to You in heaven and suffer me not to wander on earth. From this moment to all eternity do You alone grow sweet to me, for You alone are my food and drink, my love and my joy, my sweetness and my total good. Let Your presence wholly inflame me, consume and transform me into Yourself, that I may become one spirit with You by the grace of inward union and by the melting power of Your ardent love.

Suffer me not to go from You fasting and thirsty, but deal with me mercifully as You have so often and so wonderfully dealt with Your saints. What wonder if I were completely inflamed by You to die to myself, since You are the fire ever burning and never dying, a love purifying the heart and enlightening the understanding.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) in The Imitation of Christ) excerpt from Chapter 1, “Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on Earth (Grand Rapids, CCEL), p. 179.

The name Lazarus means “God is my help.” Have you ever thought of the fact that all of us are like Lazarus. We are covered with sores (that’s our sin) and unable to help ourselves.

Thomas keenly calls us all to show our needs to Christ and ask His grace. When we do, God helps us. When we don’t, we show that we neither understand our sin, nor grasp our need for His grace.

Linked to generosity, it is needful for us to take this humble posture so that our blindness or the lure of earthly things does not consume us. If we don’t see ourselves in need of help, we don’t understand the gospel.

Generosity is not something we do from our wealth, but something we share because of God’s mercy. It does not flow from our capacity but from is grace and love.

I am traveling from Chicago to Istanbul to Islamabad today. Pray for me. Pakistan is a dark place. While Christianity drips with love, Islam grips people in fear. I will interface with many Muslims on this trip.

Pray with me for opportunities to share the gospel clearly with them, because, as Charles Haddon Spurgeon once put it, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”

See yourself as a beggar and then see how it impacts your generosity. See yourself as anything but a beggar, and I don’t think you have a clue what generosity is. Ponder that.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

“If you wish that I come to you and remain with you, purge out the old leaven and make clean the dwelling of your heart. Shut out the whole world with all the din of its vices. Sit as the sparrow lonely on the housetop, and think on your transgressions in bitterness of soul.

Everyone who loves prepares the best and most beautiful home for his beloved, because the love of the one receiving his lover is recognized thereby. But understand that you cannot by any merit of your own make this preparation well enough, though you spend a year in doing it and think of nothing else.

It is only by My goodness and grace that you are allowed to approach My table, as though a beggar were invited to dinner by a rich man and he had nothing to offer in return for the gift but to humble himself and give thanks. Do what you can and do that carefully.

Receive the Body of the Lord, your beloved God Who deigns to come to you, not out of habit or necessity, but with fear, with reverence, and with love. I am He that called you. I ordered it done. I will supply what you lack. Come and receive Me.

When I grant the grace of devotion, give thanks to God, not because you are worthy but because I have had mercy upon you. If you have it not and feel rather dry instead, continue in prayer, sigh and knock, and do not give up until you receive some crumb of saving grace. You have need of Me. I do not need you.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) in The Imitation of Christ) excerpt from Chapter 1, “Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on Earth (Grand Rapids, CCEL), p. 174.

It is needful for us to realize that we need God, but He does not need us.

We get to approach Him because of His goodness (think: generosity) and grace. Not because of anything we have done. How does this reality shape our generosity? Two ways stand out to me.

First, everything to us is a gift of His goodness. Thomas urges us to abandon our vices and think on our sin. We are beggars invited to a dinner with nothing to offer but gratitude.

When we take that posture it changes us. We lose the toxic hint of entitlement, thinking we deserve any of the good gifts that come to us. We deserve none of them.

Second, when we see ourselves for who we really are and find ourselves in need, we can cry out for him to pour out grace on us. That’s what I am praying for the seminary administrators I am serving today.

They want to strengthen collections to their schools. That seems like financial or strategic work, but it is first and foremost spiritual work that starts in their lives. They need more grace.

It’s available to them, if they ask for it. And it is available to you too. I am calling out for it. Will you join me? The God who sorted this gorgeous sunset last night over Lake Michigan stands ready to help us.

And tonight I depart for Islamabad, Pakistan via Chicago, Istanbul. Thanks for your prayers for safe travel.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33

“The religious who concerns himself intently and devoutly with our Lord’s most holy life and passion will find there an abundance of all things useful and necessary for him. He need not seek for anything better than Jesus.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) in The Imitation of Christ) excerpt from Chapter 1, “Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on Earth (Grand Rapids, CCEL), p. 39.

I am still in the 14th century but shifting from one saint, Julian of Norwich, to another, Thomas à Kempis (or in English Thomas of Kempis).

Today, we discover abundance. People who don’t know Jesus think it is their job to sort all their basic needs. He says something different. He says to seek Him first and His kingdom and everything else will be sorted.

That’s what is “needful” for each of us. There’s nothing better than Jesus. I am thankful for His care. But the reality is that if we try to sort our own needs, we take on worry and fear that He does not want us to burden or bear.

I am in Michigan today facilitating meetings at Western Seminary for advancement officers from 10 of the leading seminaries in USA. This is the 23rd year that I have done this, since back in the days when I was VP of Advancement of Denver Seminary. It’s rewarding to serve and mentor these skilled workers.

Appreciate your prayers for a day filled with an abundance of blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray an abundance of blessings on you, wherever you are. Together, let us live simply, give sacrificially, serve humble, and love generously.

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, he made no threats. Instead, He entrusted himself to Him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23

“Then said our good Lord Jesus Christ: Art thou well pleased that I suffered for thee? I said: Yea, good Lord, I thank Thee; Yea, good Lord, blessed mayst Thou be. Then said Jesus, our kind Lord: If thou art pleased, I am pleased: it is a joy, a bliss, an endless satisfying to me that ever suffered I passion for thee; and if I might suffer more, I would suffer more…

For which love He said full sweetly these words: If I might suffer more, I would suffer more. He said not, If it were needful to suffer more: for though it were not needful, if He might suffer more, He would. This deed, and this work about our salvation, was ordained as well as God might ordain it. And here I saw a full bliss in Christ: for His bliss should not have been full, if it might any better have been done.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), p. 25-26.

Today marks the seventh of seven posts in which Julian of Norwich uses my word for the year – needful – in her famous work, Revelations of Divine Love.

Here she interacts with Jesus who gives thanks for the privilege of suffering for her and expresses that if it was needful he would have suffered more. Think about this.

As we have been called to follow in Christ’s steps to suffer, likewise it may be needful for us to suffer more. Are we willing to suffer more like Jesus?

Today I depart for Holland, Michigan where I will serve for about 36 hours to facilitate a peer study at Western Seminary with representatives from ten leading seminaries in the USA.

I’ve facilitated this for 23 years. It’s a bit a work but really rewarding as it helps strengthen generosity to these schools who train thousands of students for lives of ministry and service.

Then I head to Pakistan for service from 14-23 April 2026. Click here if you would like to give to help send me. I will do ministry, shoot videos, and open up educational pathways for Christian workers.

When a close friend asked me last week if it was safe to travel to Pakistan, I replied, “No, it’s not safe.” But I do not go because it is safe. I go because God open doors and calls me to serve.

Though the U.S. State Department says, “Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to armed conflict, terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.” I am eager to return to Pakistan for my third visit.

God does great work through servants willing, if necessary, to suffer more. Where is He calling you to serve?

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6

“Jesus, who in this Vision informed me of all that is needful to me, answered by this word and said: It behoved that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

In this naked word sin, our Lord brought to my mind, generally, all that is not good, and the shameful despite and the utter noughting that He bare for us in this life, and His dying; and all the pains and passions of all His creatures, ghostly and bodily; (for we be all partly noughted, and we shall be noughted following our Master, Jesus, till we be full purged, that is to say, till we be fully noughted of our deadly flesh and of all our inward affections which are not very good;).

And the beholding of this, with all pains that ever were or ever shall be,—and with all these I understand the Passion of Christ for most pain, and overpassing. All this was shewed in a touch and quickly passed over into comfort: for our good Lord would not that the soul were affeared of this terrible sight.

But I saw not sin: for I believe it hath no manner of substance nor no part of being, nor could it be known but by the pain it is cause of. And thus pain, it is something, as to my sight, for a time; for it purgeth, and maketh us to know ourselves and to ask mercy. For the Passion of our Lord is comfort to us against all this, and so is His blessed will.

And for the tender love that our good Lord hath to all that shall be saved, He comforteth readily and sweetly, signifying thus: It is sooth that sin is cause of all this pain; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner [of] thing shall be well.

These words were said full tenderly, showing no manner of blame to me nor to any that shall be saved. Then were it a great unkindness to blame or wonder on God for my sin, since He blameth not me for sin.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), p. 31.

This post links to the flow of the post from yesterday. Click below to read the post from yesterday first in case you missed it.

Why will all be well for us? Of course, because of what Christ has done for us. He did the needful rather than blame us for our sin. Think about the profound generosity in that.

We are all like the lame man, unable to do anything. Jesus approaches us. He asks, “Do you want to get well?”

Next time someone blames God for the presence of evil. Alert them that sin was needful to show us our need for God. People are responsible for sin. God did not blame us but made a way of salvation for us.

This is the generosity of God: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner [of] thing shall be well.”

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17

“Often I wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of God the beginning of sin was not hindered: for then, methought, all should have been well. Sin is behovable—[playeth a needful part]—; but all shall be well.

After this the Lord brought to my mind the longing that I had to Him afore. And I saw that nothing letted me but sin. And so I looked, generally, upon us all, and methought: If sin had not been, we should all have been clean and like to our Lord, as He made us.

And thus, in my folly, afore this time often I wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of God the beginning of sin was not letted: for then, methought, all should have been well. This stirring [of mind] was much to be forsaken, but nevertheless mourning and sorrow I made therefore, without reason and discretion.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), pp. 31.

In modern times, people ask the question, “If there is a God, why does He allow sin?” It seems that Julian asked the same question nearly 700 years ago.

God revealed to hear that sin is behovable and plays a needful part for all humanity.

Remember in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve knew the instructions from God and did not follow them, so they chose the path of sin. God is not the irresponsible party here. We are.

He made a way for our salvation! And sin persists to remind Julian and us of our need for God.

This gives us peace that all shall be well. We can go live, give, serve, and love generously. Why? All shall be well. God has everything sorted for us.

He delivered us from the penalty and power of sin and we can walk in new life thanks to Jesus.

Know anyone who is searching? Don’t read Middle English to them. Remind them that sin is a result of human irresponsibility. Salvation in Jesus is God’s answer.

And in Jesus, all shall be well. That’s most generous thing you can do for anyone.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

“We may have knowing of our Self in this life by continuant help and virtue of our high Nature. In which knowing we may exercise and grow, by forwarding and speeding of mercy and grace; but we may never fully know our Self until the last point: in which point this passing life and manner of pain and woe shall have an end…

Methought it was needful to see and to know that we are sinners, and do many evils that we ought to leave, and leave many good deeds undone that we ought to do, wherefore we deserve pain and wrath. And notwithstanding all this, I saw soothfastly that our Lord was never wroth, nor ever shall be. For He is God: Good, Life, Truth, Love, Peace; His Clarity and His Unity suffereth Him not to be wroth.

For I saw truly that it is against the property of His Might to be wroth, and against the property of His Wisdom, and against the property of His Goodness. God is the Goodness that may not be wroth, for He is not [other] but Goodness: our soul is oned to Him, unchangeable Goodness, and between God and our soul is neither wrath nor forgiveness in His sight. For our soul is so fully oned to God of His own Goodness that between God and our soul may be right nought.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), pp. 49-50.

Notice what Julian says is needful for us to see and know: “we are sinners, and do many evils that we ought to leave, and leave many good deeds undone that we ought to do.”

In this, however, God is not wroth. That’s Middle English for “intensely angry, furious, or incensed.” Instead, His goodness perpetually pursues us all the days of our lives.

So if you want to grow in generosity today, give thanks for God’s generosity toward you as a sinner and ask Him to help you bless others as He has blessed you.

This will lead to doing more good deeds rather than leaving them undone. And you will gain in the process. As we do good, we take hold of life as God designed for us to live it.

Today marks the third of seven posts from Julian of Norwich. I admit, the language is Middle English and can be challenging to understand, so let’s work through it together. And let’s how it links to my word for the year – needful – and to our desire to grow in generosity.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

“Our Lord willeth that we know this in the faith and the belief; and especially that we have all this blessed will whole and safe in our Lord Jesus Christ. For that same kind that Heaven shall be filled with behoveth needs, of God’s rightfulness, so to have been knit and oned to Him, that therein was kept a substance which might never, nor should, be parted from Him; and that through His own good will in His endless foreseeing purpose. But notwithstanding this rightful knitting and this endless oneing, yet the redemption and the again-buying of mankind is needful and speedful in everything, as it is done for the same intent and to the same end that Holy Church in our Faith us teacheth.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), p. 62-63.

What just happened on the cross and through the resurrection? All who receive Christ are made one with Him.

Julian likes to describe it with the word ‘oneing’ or to be ‘oned’ with Christ. And I like her word picture that the work God did was ‘rightful knitting’ that was ‘needful and speedful’ for mankind.

God, through Christ knitted and oned us to Himself and nothing can separate us from Him.

This gives us confidence. We can live, give, serve, and love generously because the God of the universe who made us practiced the “again-buying” of mankind to be oned with us. Notice how generosity comes into view.

His again-buying of mankind was just what we needed and the cost was His blood. Now, nothing can separate us from Him, we are knit together with Him.

You don’t need to worry about living the Christian life after Lent. Why? You have everything you have ever needed, that you need, and that you will ever need. In the famous words of Julian of Norwich, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

To give my posts context this week, Julian of Norwich was an anchoress. She lived in a room (anchored) adjacent to the church. She saw 16 visions or revelations of divine love and provided spiritual direction to people who came to see her.

Let’s unpack today’s post to see what is needful and how it relates to generosity. I admit, the language is Middle English and can be challenging to understand, so let’s work through it together.

In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4

“I had, in part, touching, sight, and feeling in three properties of God, in which the strength and effect of all the revelation standeth: and they were seen in every showing, and most properly in the twelfth, where it saith oftentimes: [It is I] The properties are these: Life, Love, and Light.

In life is marvellous homeliness, and in love is gentle courtesy, and in light is endless Nature-hood. These properties were in one goodness: unto which goodness my reason would be oned, and cleave to it with all its might. I beheld with reverent dread, and highly marvelling in the sight and in the feeling of the sweet accord, that our reason is in God; understanding that it is the highest gift that we have received; and it is grounded in nature.

Our faith is a light by nature coming of our endless day, that is our Father, God. In which light our Mother, Christ, and our good Lord, the Holy Ghost, leadeth us in this passing life. This light is measured discreetly, needfully standing to us in the night. The light is cause of our life; the night is cause of our pain and of all our woe: in which we earn meed and thanks of God.

For we, with mercy and grace, steadfastly know and believe our light, going therein wisely and mightily. And at the end of woe, suddenly our eyes shall be opened, and in clearness of light our sight shall be full: which light is God, our Maker and Holy Ghost, in Christ Jesus our Saviour. Thus I saw and understood that our faith is our light in our night: which light is God, our endless day.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), p. 94.

Julian celebrates three key properties of God: life, light, and love.

She sees them in her reason which is our highest gift which helps her unite to God. God measures the light to us (which is Himself) discreetly and needfully, so we are not overcome by the night.

That’s an ancient way to say that He helps our understanding grow over time. We do not see fully until we are with our Triune God experiencing endless day.

And it relates to generosity because these three traits of God – like, light, and love – come together in one goodness. That word ‘goodness’ in ancient English means generosity.

In plain terms. God’s generosity to us is that we can be united with Him, get the light we need to grow in maturity, and rest assured that in Him we have everything we need.

We will not be overcome by the darkness and chaos in our world. We can think clearly and have reason though it is limited until the time of endless day.

And look at the cool bonus in view. Serving Him who is our life, light, and love, “we earn meed” which in Middle English means, we gain reward.

In life after Lent, we have everything we need and He measures out more as we need it discreetly and needfully – though it may seem limited in the moment – and we can anticipate eternal reward.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

“Though we be highly lifted up into contemplation by the special gift of our Lord, yet it is needful to us to have knowledge and sight of our sin and our feebleness.

Our Lord of His mercy showeth us our sin and our feebleness by the sweet gracious light of Himself; for our sin is so vile and so horrible that He of His courtesy will not shew it to us but by the light of His grace and mercy.

Of four things therefore it is His will that we have knowing: the first is, that He is our Ground from whom we have all our life and our being.

The second is, that He keepeth us mightily and mercifully in the time that we are in our sin and among all our enemies, that are full fell upon us; and so much we are in the more peril for [that] we give them occasion thereto, and know not our own need.

The third is, how courteously He keepeth us, and maketh us to know that we go amiss.

The fourth is, how steadfastly He abideth us and changeth no regard: for He willeth that we be turned [again], and oned to Him in love as He is to us.

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), p. 90.

Yesterday we completed our journey through Lent so I have decided to return to my word for the year: needful. It appears multiple times in this classic work by Julian of Norwich, so we will explore those usages this week.

I’ve also changed the header photo to feature our tulips in bloom. So beautiful I had to share it.

In today’s reading we Julian reminds us of our feebleness. Why? If we don’t set our hearts on things above, we will get ourselves into trouble.

If we want to grow in generosity, we have to focus on the things God cares about. If we do, He will resource us with knowledge, opportunities, finances, and other things we need to do His work.

If we focus on the earthly things, He will let us do it, but He will graciously encourage us be “oned to Him in love” and join Him in His work.

What will you do in life after Lent?

Father in Heaven, thanks for keeping us mightily and mercifully. May your will be done in our lives and may we be oned with you in love. Help us not go amiss but pursue heavenly things and have generous impact for your glory. Make it so because of your mercy and love we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

As I enter the last three weeks of my sabbatical, I spend this week at home, then two days facilitating meetings with seminary leaders in Michigan, then 10 days in Pakistan.

I appreciate your prayers for my preparation for the opportunity to serve there for the third time in 15 months. I will share more about the trip in the days to come.