We must zealously guard our love for the Lord and beware in every possible way, lest anything tear us away from the fullness of our love for the Lord God: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matt. 22:37).

***

Bodily feats, if they are accompanied by fatigue that has a harmful effect on our inner mood, must be moderated, and in general we must try to have the spirit rule over everything, to be the motive force in our striving towards the Lord: do not weaken in zeal; burn with the Spirit (Romans 12:11).

***

It is good to maintain a humble opinion of ourselves through constant remembrance of our former sinful life and our present constant shortcomings, infirmities and sins. However, your shortcomings and imperfections are not clear to you – reproduce in your memory the Sermon on the Mount of the Saviour, remember the lives of ascetics, pay attention to the merits of other people, and you will see that you have nothing to boast of, except, as the holy Apostle Paul says, "your infirmities" (2 Corinthians 11:30).

***

Try to position your inner self in such a way that when you are praised or blamed, you would be indifferent, indifferent, calm: as if it does not apply to you, does not concern you.

***

Willpower is a great thing: it is like a rudder on a ship. By means of will-power, all our inner movements can be given the right direction. Willpower helps us to put up with everything, to endure everything; as a result of all this, a calm, serene life in God.

***

What a lofty, divine feeling love is! It truly reflected the image of God in man. Love is the head of all virtues: it leads to all that is good; it compels us to be meek, and humble, and pure in heart, and peace-loving, and patient, and gracious, so that it is fair to say: whoever has true love fulfills the whole law, as the Apostle Paul says: love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10). Holy love is an invincible force against all evil; Whoever has it, the enemy flees from him, and against the stronghold of such love all evil breaks, as waves break against a stone. Holy love is already here, on earth, a blessed state of spirit: peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Holy love is a quick, faithful, serene, joyful path to Christ, to salvation.

***

Accursed laughter, how inappropriate you are for a Christian! How many insults have been inflicted on the majesty of God through you, when, for example, you disturb in the temple of God during divine services and in sacred places, where there should be only a reverent, trembling, holy feeling for the Lord God! Did not the Apostle say, "Idle talk and ridicule are not fitting for you" (Ephesians 5:4). Better lamentation than laughter, because when the face is sorrowful, the heart becomes better (Ecclesiastes 7:3).

***