Learning to Love Jesus

Most of us as Christians would readily confess that if there's one Person in this world and beyond that we love, it is the Person of Jesus. We have so many beautiful songs like the hymn "Oh, How I Love Jesus", and  many other songs that express our love for the Savior. However, on a practical level, I'm not sure if our demonstration necessarily matches our proclamation. We may be guilty of what the word says in describing the alleged people of God, "this people...honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Matthew 15). We say that we love Jesus, but do we really love Him with our hearts as well as with our words? I ask this question because in the days ahead, what's going to be tested more than anything else is our love for Jesus. Not our faith, not our commitment, not our devotion, not our steadfastness; but our love for the Lord is what will be challenged to pass the test. And rather than "assuming" we love the Lord, we might do well to make the commitment of Learning to Love Jesus.

Remember, Christianity is not a religion, It's a Relationship. Every relationship has to grow, including our relationship with the Lord. Therefore, in developing an Intimate Relationship (whether in the natural or the spiritual) one must take the time to learn the person they're in relationship with so that they can love them effectively as well as appropriately. How you "express" love to one person may not be the correct approach in reaching another person in the name of love. And believe it or not, the same is the case with Jesus. He is a Person, and if you're going to love Him, you have to love Him in a way that's going to register with Him, not simply satisfy ourselves.

The first thing we must do in Learning to Love Jesus is be Obedient. You can't love the Lord if you're not willing to be obedient to His Commands. Jesus said in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Saint John, "if ye love Me, keep my Commandments". Jesus knows we're going to struggle and sin. This is what He shed His Blood for, to forgive us for our sinfulness. But the issue with many of us as Christians is not sinfulness but maturity. When you're "growing" in a relationship, something is suspicious when you continue to offend the person you claim you love for the next 10 years. This isn't weakness, this is lack of attentiveness and commitment to the growth and development of the relationship. That's why the prophetic word of the Lord is to turn and seek Him. Repentance and seeking the Lord is what facilitates spiritual growth and thereby gives us the capacity to change and be obedient to our Lord's Divine Will for our lives.

The next thing we have to do in Learning to Love Jesus is we have to learn to Rest in Him. Jesus said, "come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest" (Matthew 11). If you're in a covenant relationship of marriage or a serious courtship, you expect your partner to confide in you, to trust in you, to share with you their challenges and struggles, as well as their victories and triumphs. Therefore, something's wrong when your spouse or fiance has another "go-to person" that they confide in over and above you. This includes parents. The bible says, for the sake of marriage, that the man (and I believe this applies to the wife as well) must leave their father and mother and cleave to their wife (Matthew 19). This is what Jesus wants. As the Bride of Christ, He wants His church to trust in Him, to lean on Him, to confide in Him. Not lean on the flesh! Not trust in carnal and selfish devices. This offends our Lord. We must learn to Rest in Him to show our Love and Confidence in Him.

Lastly saints, in Learning to Love Jesus, we must learn to Sacrifice for Him. The Mystery of Christianity is that Jesus wants to live His Life through us (2Corinthians 4). Yes He wants to use us to work for Him, but ideally and primarily He wants to work "through us". He wants to live His Divine Supernatural Life in and through our mortal bodies (2Corinthians 4). But many of us don't love Jesus enough to die to our life that He can live His through us. This is the commitment and dedication that will change the world. But the church will only adopt this witness as we truly Learn to Love Jesus.