I was evaluating my love for Christ a few weeks back and I did not like what I saw. I felt so ashamed of myself.
The more I look at my love for Jesus and compare it to how others love him, mine is below par. I used to have the zeal, passion or enthusiasm that they have. However, today it seems down the tubes. My score is so obviously low in this department. This can be rather pathetic since I am active in church work and it is quite embarassing since I teach the Bible and run a study group.
Then something happened a few days after that. My friends and I were discussing again the point of the Gospel and I was struck again by this thought while I was speaking to them...try not to find how to love Jesus more, rather look at how much Jesus loves you.
This is quite stumbling. What? If you want to love Jesus more, don't focus on how you do it, rather remember how Jesus loves you, i.e. bask in what he has done for you.
My love for Jesus is not something generated within me, but something created by the truth that is outside me.
Jesus loves me
this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
So the song goes.Remembering how Jesus loves you has some pretty interesting fruits. Besides, the Gospel is not about how you should love Jesus, but how Jesus loves you. When you find out that he is the forgiver of your sins even today, you will love him more.
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us
4 comments:
Now that is the gospel!
This "Jesus shaped", 'how to' baloney is enough to make me want to puke.
The fact of the matter is that none of us loves Him like we ought and we are in love with sinning.
Jesus came for sinners. He died for sinners.
He knows what we are all about and He wants us anyway. He can and will and has 'cleaned up our acts' ...for us!
Great post LPC!
I really appreciate this quote from C.F.W. Walther where he talks of the same thing: http://alutheranbeggar.blogspot.com/2008/10/lutheran-quote-of-day-walther-on.html
SM,
I was just thinking how stumbling the Gospel is. It is so different and so un-intiuitive so unobvious that no wonder we want to throw our ideas into it, and no wonder why people check out from it too.
Like this topic of loving Jesus...
If you want to love Jesus do not think of how you can increase your love for him, rather see how much you are a sinner and how much he has answered for you.
LPC
JW.
God will not leave him in the slough of despair
May it never be that we are in despair with no where to go.
LPC
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