Loving or In Love?
All
right, let me begin by asking you a question: “Is there a difference between
loving and being in love?” Of course
there is, right? I love my parents, my
sisters, my best friend, but I’m not in love with any of them. Being “in love” implies a romantic attraction
between a man and a woman, a deep, passionate, head-over-heels kind of
love. So now that we agree on that, let
me ask you another question: “Are you in love with Jesus?” If you’re like me, you’d probably reply,
“Definitely,” without any hesitation, but I advise you not to answer too
hastily.
We
all go through seasons in our spiritual life… at least I hope you do. Times of learning and growing, times of
lessons. In the season I’m in right now,
the Lord’s been teaching me about love.
About loving Him and as a byproduct, loving others.
I
grew up in a Christian household, and I’m so grateful for that, but as a
result, I never truly experienced that “wow” moment at God’s unconditional
love. He never really awed me. I never really felt that new-believer’s
enthusiasm, that experience of being so on fire for God and excited about Him
and the things He loves. I grew up going
to church every Sunday, I was familiar with Bible stories before I could even
read, and when I learned, I was reading my own little Bible for myself. With that said, I accepted Jesus as my
personal Lord and Savior at a very early age, before I even really felt the
weight of my own sins and realized how badly I was in need of Him. As a child, my relationship with Christ was viewing
Him as my security of going to Heaven when I die, of the Giver of all the
blessings I had in my life, and He was who we prayed to before eating and
before going to sleep.
As
I got older, in my preteen and early teenage years, my conception of God began
to deepen a little. As I struggled with
my self-esteem and self-worth (if you’ve not read my testimony about that, see
the post titled More Beautiful You), I began to view Jesus as my best
friend. I began to see Him more clearly
for who He is, and like everyone does in hard times, I grew very close to Him
in that season. As I grew older, I began
to see just how much in need of Him I truly was, how badly I needed His grace
to cover my sins and how desperately I needed His strength to live for Him every
day. I saw Him wearing the hats of all
of His many names… all but one. The
Bridegroom. I could never get my arms
around that one.
So
you see, I’ve loved Jesus my whole life… but now, He’s teaching me to love Him
differently. I grew up hearing the story
of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
There’s nothing new about that story to me. But recently, as I’ve been preparing for my
Judas post series, I opened my Bible to the four Gospels again. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I admit it had been a very long time since I
had been in these four books. But as I
began reading again this story I’ve known since childhood, something began to
happen. I was truly… wowed. Jesus awed me for the first time. I began going back and reading the beginning
and middle of the Gospels again, reading about the life and ministry of Jesus
as He walked on this earth, and you know what?
I found myself so engrossed in reading about this Man that I couldn’t
put the Book down. I would open the
Bible just to read a little or to look something up, and the next thing I would
know, I was running behind schedule because I had lingered in its pages too
long. For the first time, I was truly
beginning to see the character of Jesus Himself as I began to read with a
mature understanding about His time here in my everyday world. I found myself not just loving Him, but
learning to fall in love with Him.
It’s
a beautiful thing to love Jesus, but I think it’s even more beautiful to be in
love with Him. In fact, I believe it’s
His desire and will for us to not just love Him but to fall in love with
Him. In His Word, we see the Church as
Christ’s bride and Himself as the bridegroom.
That was not coincidental. If
you’ve ever seen a bride and a groom together, there’s no mistaking that
they’re in love with each other. It’s
obvious, and that’s how Jesus wants it to be with us. “A new commandment I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this all men
will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn
13:34&35) The world will know us by
our love for others and by our love for Christ.
My
lesson for this season of my spiritual walk is to learn to love. I’m truly getting that new believer’s zeal for
the first time as I’m finally beginning to grasp just how great God’s love
is. I’ve always known He loved me; I’ve
been a follower of Him since childhood.
But I never really knew, I never really understood the magnitude of it…
but I do now, and it never ceases to amaze me just how much He loves me. He loves us… and He loves you. Who knows that love is contagious
though? As I’m falling in love with
Jesus, that love is overflowing and I’m finding that He is teaching me how to
love others as He loves them. To see
people through His eyes and to love them unconditionally no matter their
situation, no matter what kind of person they are, no matter what they may have
done to me. I can now say that I’m a
people-lover. I love people now, as the
whole of humanity and as individuals, because I love with the love of Christ in
me. And yes, that even means you, my
blog-readers. I feel there’s someone out
there who’s going to read this blog and needs to hear this message, so if
that’s you, I want to reaffirm this truth in your heart and in your mind: I don’t know what you’re going through and I
don’t know your situation in life, but I know of two people who love you no
matter what, no matter where you find yourself today. I love you, and most importantly, Jesus
loves you. We both love you and care
about your life and your future. I can’t
be with you where you are, but Jesus can. He’s always with you, friend, no matter where
you are. He’s with you in all of your
blunders, in all of your mistakes, in those moments when you give into
temptation, He’s at your side and sees it all.
But despite all of our bruises, burdens, and falls, He still loves you
and He still loves me even with all of our faults. How great is the love of God, my friend.
The
Bible is filled with passages talking about love. Clearly, love is important to God. In Mark 12:28-34, we read of a particular
encounter of Jesus with a teacher of the law.
It says that the man asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the
most important?” “The most important
one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one. Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
commandment greater than these.” There
is no commandment greater than these.
Why did Jesus call these two commandments about love the greatest of them
all? Because all stems from a love of
God. If you love God, He’ll help you
learn to love people as He does. And if
you love people, you begin to see life through the eyes of Christ and live life
with the hands of love. And honestly, I
believe it all begins when we can learn to not only love Jesus but to fall in
love with Him, because it’s then that our conception of love begins to change,
our relationship with Him deepens, and we truly grasp how great His love is for
us personally and for all of humanity.
In response to Jesus’ words, the teacher of the law said this: “‘Well
said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You
are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all
your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as
yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely,
he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’” Friends, when we can grasp the depth of God’s
love, we have drawn very near to His heart.
For our God is a God of love.
Another
passage I want to share with you all takes place when Jesus is praying at the
Last Supper. Now if you’re like me, you
probably usually skip over this part because it’s a little long, but take the
time to read this prayer if you haven’t in a while. In this passage, Jesus has just prayed for
Himself and for His disciples, and now He goes on to pray for all believers-
for you and me. I won’t cite the whole
prayer for you because it’s several verses long, but here’s what He says amidst
it: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent
me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (v. 23) Righteous Father, though the world does not know
you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will
continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in
them and that I myself may be in them.”
(John 17:23, 25&26) Jesus is
praying here that God’s love may be in us and that His love may unify us- the
Church, the body of believers- so that we can share His love with the
world. How though can we share the love
of God with the world if we can’t grasp its greatness and entirety?
On
a solemn note of recognition, we live in a sinful world with a lot of problems,
don’t we? Rape, fornication, adultery,
pornography, prostitution, illegitimate pregnancies… One commonality in them all is the action of
looking for love and fulfillment in the wrong place. We were created with a need to love and be
loved in return; we were designed with that desire for romantic love and
intimacy in a man-woman relationship.
That desire is perfectly normal and there’s certainly nothing wrong with
feeling that need. It’s God-given and
God-planned. But how often I wonder do
we enter into relationships with the expectation of having that void we feel
miraculously fulfilled. A healthy and
God-ordained relationship with your spouse, your boyfriend, or girlfriend is a
gift from the Lord, but relationships will always bring some disappointments to
your expectations. Why? Because we are all imperfect human beings. Your complete and total fulfillment for love
and intimacy will ultimately not come from romantic attachments, although they
are the Lord’s way of providing for future generations and likewise enhancing
your life with close companionship. But
there is One who can bring you total fulfillment and offer His love wholly, devotedly,
and entirely faithfully. Who better
knows how to satisfy your deepest desires for love than the One who gave you
those very desires? Intimacy between a
man and a woman is a desire that is a very real part of each of us, but a
genuine relationship with Jesus Christ can fulfill that desire better than any
human being walking on the face of this earth can. Falling in love with Him is better than even
the best love story the greatest author in the world could write. We ask ourselves how the Apostle Paul could
find such contentment in his singlehood and rejoice in his state of
celibacy. Maybe he learned that there’s
a love far more fulfilling to his desire than the love any human could ever
give. The world is looking for love in
all the wrong places, and it’s our responsibility to provide them with the
treasure of their hunt, to turn them to the One who understands their desires
best and can fulfill their deepest needs for love better than anyone.
Maybe you’re
like me and you love Jesus, but you just can’t get your arms around the bride
and bridegroom relationship. You just
aren’t in love with Him like that. Maybe
you consider it’s weird to even think of Jesus fulfilling your romantic desires. But if He’s everything we need and if we’re created with those desires, how can He can not? Brothers in Christ, honestly, this
relationship is probably going to be particularly difficult for you to grasp,
especially since being part of the body of believers, you’re on the bride side
of the relationship. I know it would be hard
for me at least if I was a guy. But I
can promise you, if you can get this, it will be well worth the effort and it
will make all the difference in the world in your life. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience. I encourage each of you, readers, to search
your hearts and examine your love for Christ.
Ask yourself the question I posed to you earlier: “Are you in love with
Jesus?” Or do you just love Him? Be honest with yourself. If you find in your heart that you have never
experienced that stirring love for Him within you, I encourage you to bring out
your Bible and turn to the four Gospels and just begin to read. It doesn’t matter where in the books you
begin, just start reading. I don’t think
there’s any better way to fall in love with Jesus than to see Him living,
breathing, and moving in your own world.
And if that person struggling to grasp the greatness of God’s love for
him personally is you, know that I wrote this post for you with you
in mind. Be assured that I’m praying for
you, and I love you even as Jesus loves all of us. You are special- uniquely created- and you
are loved.
Falling in love with Jesus is taking your
spiritual relationship to another level.
Friends, this is so important to get.
I can’t stress how much of an impact this will have on your life and
your relationships if you can learn to fall in love with Jesus and see Him as
the bridegroom of your life. This I
truly believe is the key to living your life to the fullest extent that He
wants you to live it by viewing life in the light of His love. I can talk on and on about how great and how
incredible His love is, but unless you experience it for yourself, all of my
words are simply… words. Maybe you have
experienced this before, but the love has grown cold and stale over
time. The excitement has waxed old. Love needs continuous nurturing to survive. It needs communication and quality time. Maybe it’s time to enter into His presence
and rekindle the love that once was.
Maybe a lovers’ rendezvous with your Bridegroom is long overdue. Allow Him to captivate your heart and hold it
prisoner, friends. It’s safe in His hands,
and He yearns to own it. He deserves
it. Dare to fall in love with Jesus, and
I promise you, you will not be disappointed in His love you find in return. Don’t just be content loving Him, but allow
Him to lavish His immense love on you as you fall in love with Him in return. Yes, it’s deep; yes, it’s passionate and
fulfilling, holy and pure; and yes, you’ll be head-over-heels before you know
it for this Hero of the world. He is not
restoring unto me “the joy of my salvation”; He is teaching me the full
joy of it… and it’s more beautiful than anyone could imagine. I want that for each of you, and it’s my
fervent prayer and desire that you learn to fall in love with Him just as I
have and am still continuing to. Let’s
not grow drowsy and fall asleep unprepared for our Lord’s long-anticipated
return like the five foolish virgins did in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25. The Bridegroom will be coming for His
bride. Let Him not find a bride who is
out of love and out of touch with Him… who has forsaken her first love. (Rev
2:4)
“And now these
three remain: faith, hope and love. But
the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians
13:13
*Speaking of spending quality time with
Christ, my three favorite places for a Jesus rendezvous is my church, within the
pages of my Bible, and in my bed. I love
lying in my bed, putting on some music, and simply enjoying Him and allowing
Him to delight in me. Yes, He does
delight in you. “Here is my servant,
whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.” (Isa 42:1) A favorite song of mine to listen to in those
moments is called Your Love by Brandon Heath. I love the reminder of its lyrics that no
matter where we are or where we’ve been, that God’s love is the most important
thing that really matters in the end. It
never fails… the song’s powerful truth always makes me close my eyes and lift
my hands to Heaven. Another two great songs
about Christ’s love is Love Is Here by Tenth Avenue
North and You Saw Me by Hillsong Live. His love is always enough,
isn’t it, blog-reader friends?
*Additionally,
I received word concerning the novel contest I had entered back in July
2012. My book didn’t make it to the
second round entrants, but I want to thank each of you that supported me in
your prayers. Please continue to keep the
situation in your prayers as I take the next step to getting the powerful
message of this book into your hands, readers, and search for a literary agent
after the holidays. And to the second
round winners should you be reading this, my heart-felt congratulations to you,
my best wishes for your success in the remainder of the contest, and may the
Lord bless your literary career.
*And
still furthermore, I know many of you are probably curious as to what my cousin
and I decided to buy from the World Vision catalogue (see my post title Missionary
Moment). To answer your question, we
decided to use our $75 combined, in addition to the $50 my parents are going to
contribute, to give $50 to help save girls from a life of prostitution and $75
to buy a goat for a family this Christmas.
Again, if you’d like to learn more about World Vision and their mission,
check out their website at donate.worldvision.org.
~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords? I was struggling to decide what to name my blog. I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful. As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments. They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions. They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment. A musician selects his songs according to his audience. So do we. Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different. This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument. Music is a powerful tool. Use it for His glory. “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3
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