Christian Blogs, Discipleship Encouragement and Correction
Loving Jesus
Lately, I have struggled with the question whether I truly love Jesus. Of course, I know the relevant verses; such as, if you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Fortunately, Jesus didn’t say that if you love me… well, you’ve kept (past tense) them; thus implying we have somehow earned His favor. The young, rich man said that he had kept them all, but Jesus knew better. No, thank God that as long as we’re alive, His grace may call us to repent, and through repentanc…e, we are empowered to turn away from those things that God loathes; which if, without forgiveness, makes us deserving only of His wrath.
Still, obedience alone is not love or is it? It is certainly a critical manifestation, and should be demonstrated in all that we do: our prayer, study, meditation, manner of speech, fellowship, stewardship, outreach to others, casting our anxieties upon Him and so on. There are a myriad commandments in the Scriptures: husbands love your wives; wives respect your husbands. Sons and daughters… honor. Still, how do I know that by doing these things I have done them out of love for Christ? I have concluded I probably won’t know in this life; even as the sheep in Matthew 25 did not know until judgment when they had loved the Son of God by showing care for the least in those in His kingdom. Indeed, I don’t suspect that I will find an eternal proof of my love for Christ as a matter of human senses.
How many cells are there in the human body? 37 trillion? Thank God that I don’t have to consciously will each to live for the whole to thrive! Yes, there are things that I must consciously do or not do to live. This is true of our physical and spiritual beings. However, there is this sense that if indeed I live in Christ, and He in me, that I need not think to breath in Spirit. I needn’t feel to touch or see to believe His presence. The absence of a fragrant aroma doesn’t mean there is nothing to smell. What does clean smell like anyway? Disinfectant? Must I smell the blood of Christ on the ground to know His mercy? What is peace and rest but the absence of malice? Finally, what is love but the absence of enmity between God and man?
I love Jesus.
