Just What Does It Mean To Love The Lord?
A few days ago, I mentioned the often useless phrase; “so-and-so loves the Lord.” But what does it really mean to Love the Lord. OK, you say, “well you must be born again.” I’ll buy that, but is that a sufficient definition? It seems that our Lord felt that didn’t quite fit the definition.
Revelation 2:1 – 4 (NKJV) 1“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (emphasis added)
For many believers today the loss of their first love is a present reality. The old saying, “familiarity breads contempt” may not apply but familiarity does often breed “familiarity” meaning mediocrity. It was once there (Eph. 1:15; 3:17-19; 6:23), and your love for Christ drove your life.
You have a hatred for evil, able to discern false teachers, you labor and work in the ministry with patience, and you have maintained your doctrinal orthodoxy and continue to serve Christ. That service had degenerated into mechanical orthodoxy. You’re basically on auto pilot. Just was has gone wrong?
I suspect for many there is that familiarity that has bred mediocrity. Our relationship with Christ has dulled and we have resorted to clichés and religious activities that have a historical vestige in a once vibrant relationship with Christ, but in all the right things the things that really define our love for Christ are missing.
The first principle in rekindling that dynamic love for Christ first starts with understanding that this kind of love was initiated and proceeds from God.
1 John 4:19 (NKJV) 19We love Him because He first loved us.
We need to return to visit the riches of the grace of Christ (Ephesians 1:7; 3:8; cf 3:16) and come to grips with the simple fact that a return to our “first love” flows from our dependence on Christ initiating that love within us. Our relationship with Christ is one born not by the flesh, nor the will men, but of God (John 1:13). Our relationship with Christ has a divine authorship and empowerment.
The second is obedience to the Word of God.
John 14:21 – 24 (NKJV) 21He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, ”If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. (also John 14:15, 24)
When we think of our relationship with Christ we usually do not relate to “doing”. We were saved by grace through faith apart from works. Our walk with Christ is not a performance relationship. How does it all fit in? Once we are in Christ, having put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) we become new creatures in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have been given a new heart that desires the things of God. Paul calls this the “new man” (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). The point here is that the new man craves to do the will of God because that is his nature. The new man desires the things God, desires and seeks them out. When we allow the cares of the world and of the flesh to take hold of our lives, that which has been born within us is starved and we sense a loss of our “first love.” Christ is crowded out and we lose the joy of our relation with Him.
Let us go back and review the love of God found in Christ Jesus and allow what He has done for us in redemption to once again capture our hearts. And then let us look to obedience to His Word and ask the Lord to restore to us a passion for the things He is passionate about. We will regain our first love when we regain the things that our Lord is passionate about by placing His interests above ours in obedience.