“So He answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself’.”
Friend, I want to ask you some questions today. What does love mean to you? What is your expectation when you think about love? Do you believe that God loves you? And how do you love Him back? Is it possible to love anyone with “all your heart, soul, mind, and “strength”? Is it possible to love Jesus in that way when He is a spirit being?
I am talking about passion, the energy and vigor with which you feel your love for God and your connection to Him. Most people in the world (and the church at large) are so caught up with doing things, going through the motions, checking the boxes, that they may have gradually lost sight of their purpose and reason in life. Life becomes a “blah” and sterile religious routine when we lose sight of passion.
You folks who are married or in long term relationships/ friendships, ask yourself what it was like when you first met. How did your heart burn and beat when you felt drawn to the one you love? What did you do to express the love that arose, and how did you receive love from the other? Now think about your relationship with Jesus. Do you feel the same joy and excitement when you meet with Him? How much of your thought life belongs to Him? How much has your thinking, your heart culture changed to reflect the new life He came to give, the fire He lit in you?
I believe that living life with a passion starts with falling in love. Everything looks and feels different when a person is in love. You can’t help but experience everything in life in a very different, more real and impactful way. What did it feel like to fall in love with Jesus? How did your heart change? What changed in your life after you met Him?
I remember how exciting my life became when I first fell in love with Jesus many years ago! It felt like He was always present in my thoughts, in my mind. I was so amazed by the fact that our relationship was real and alive, and that I could communicate with Him heart to heart, moment by moment. Holy Spirit drew me into deeper and deeper connection each time I hid myself away in a quiet place and fed on the Word. I was the mother of an infant, working part time, and each moment I could get away to worship and fellowship with the Spirit was an extended time of divine delight. Jesus began to fill every part of my life. Prayer and worship became an essential part of our family life, and there was a continuous conversation with Jesus happening within my heart. I would even rock my baby to sleep singing worship songs and dancing for my Lord. It was a season of intense transformation from within to without, a time of learning about God’s eternal, unshakeable, unbreakable love. It was a time of increased revelation and knowledge, where I learned more about the person of Jesus Christ and the power of His Spirit, and how I could overflow His love and grace to touch a hurting world.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because out of that love came a passion, and out of that passion came growth and transformation. On the other hand, each time I have got more focused/consumed with things of the ministry or the world in general, the passion has been less, and my relationship with Jesus has not grown the way I would like it to; it is not surprising then to see less growth and transformation, less strength and power. Without a doubt, my first priority has become my relationship with the person of Jesus Christ; worship, the Word, my connection & service with the Body of Christ. Jesus, His people, and the things of God have the first place in my heart and in my life.
Going back to some of the questions we started with; what does love mean to you? Have you “felt” God’s love for you? Do you “know” it with your heart and mind? What does it feel like to be loved by Jesus? And how do you express the love you feel for Him? Is there any gift you could offer Him that could ever express sufficiently how you love Him?
My prayer is that I will live with an ever increasing passion for my King, and that this will be echoed in the heart of the Bride, across the world. “Jesus, be my first love. Jesus be my top priority. I live to know You deeper and to love You more. I live to worship You, to be your vessel, and to manifest You wherever I go. Take me ever deeper, ever closer to You. I love You!”
Make this your prayer too…
Minoli Haththotuwa, 06 May 2024
