Two Worlds Apart - Where is the City of God?

May 122008

Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, “Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”763 In the one, the princes and the nations it subdues are ruled by the love of ruling; in the other, the princes and the subjects serve one another in love, the latter obeying, while the former take thought for all. The one delights in its own strength, represented in the persons of its rulers; the other says to its God, “I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.”764 And therefore the wise men of the one city, living according to man, have sought for profit to their own bodies or souls, or both, and those who have known God “glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; professing themselves to be wise,”—that is, glorying in their own wisdom, and being possessed by pride,—“they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.” For they were either leaders or followers of the people in adoring images, “and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.”765 But in the other city there is no human wisdom, but only godliness, which offers due worship to the true God, and looks for its reward in the society of the saints, of holy angels as well as holy men, “that God may be all in all.”766
-City of God, St. Augustine

itakeoffthemask.com is not your usual personal development website that tells you what you already know, but an online life coaching site that unmasks what you're really going through and offers real empathy and empowering resources for your comfort and healing. You can check those who have been comforted and inspired by reading their testimonials

Hurt? Brokenhearted? Burdened?
FREE 7-Day E-mail Course:
Click Here!
You need not be alone.
"The world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the broken places." - ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Posts Related to Two Worlds Apart - Where is the City of God?

Prayer of a Broken Counselor
My Lord, you know how I've always sought your Holy Wisdom. You know how I've studied your words night and day. You know how I ...
Psalm of the fallen flesh
O wicked flesh thou has been cursed and thou has fallen from the glory where you once were the luminaries of heaven laugh at thee ...
Love and Strength
I didn't see before this connection between love and strength. All I knew was that love is a certain kind of strength, but that strength ...
Ten Steps of Love through the Dark Night
There had been so many interpretations of the DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL that I deemed it an accountability to post what ST. JOHN OF THE ...
The Futility of Worldly Knowledge
Against vain and worldly knowledge "My Son, let not the fair and subtle sayings of men move thee. For the kingdom of God is not ...

Letters to Joyce

Karlyn Mendler { I am new on this Blog and I just wanted to say "Hi" to everyone! } – Feb 09, 8:27 PM
Agnes { Dear Joyce, Hi! I have been an avid reader of your blog about a year an a half ago when I too have been experiencing heartbreak and burden in my life. Your words have really been a pat on my shoulder and a hug rolled in one. I am now in a year long relationship and life has been treating me well. It is not a perfect relationship, we do have our shares of ups and downs but we come out of each as a better individual and we grow and learn together through those past mistakes. I just... } – Feb 05, 3:53 PM
Allan { hi joyce. my partner told me that he needs time for him to think things over. i know that its the end of our relationship. i have been in pain for the past 3 months until a week a ago when he told me through text message about this. he didnt even care to talk to me face to face.why am i in so much pain? i cant escape from the pain joyce. help me } – Feb 02, 9:45 AM
faith { Hi joyce, i feel that im at the lowest point of my life...late last year i found out that my bf ( for 6 months) is still going steady with her prior gf. i was crushed after learning that he fooled me for 6 months that we are together. but since i love him so much, i forgave him with his promise that he will end things with her and come back to me clean slate. but he did not come back at all. he said he was empty after breaking up with her (doubt if they really did break... } – Jan 29, 2:20 PM
Tanya { Dear Joyce, I don't have a husband who physically abuses me but i have one who does so verbally and emotionally. He doesn't care whether we be in public places like malls, offices etc he just feels he needs to, in his own terms, "vent out his spleen". He had called me many things and often times says that i am stupid. He said i needed to reform, and that the only way was "his way". for the past year i have been doing all he asks of me, i am not allowed to talk to my friends, neither am... } – Jan 24, 9:16 AM