I have been reading the Lent devotional Bread and Wine and came across an entry from Thomas a Kempis that addresses the idea of "praising God" without self-interest. In light of what I shared this past Sunday this quote challenged and deepened my own convictions:
Many love Him (Christ) as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus—love that is free from all self-interest and self-love!
You can read Thomas a Kempis' 11th entry in The Imitation of Christ here.
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