Is Your Love Burning?

Echoes of Truth

January 14th

Theme: Keeping the Fire Burning

 

 Anything that cools my love for Christ is the world. – John Wesley

 

 

Possibly, we have asked what went wrong with Judas? When did it go wrong? Why did it go wrong? Many things could possibly answer that but the crux of every answer would be worldliness. Judas heard the same messages the other eleven disciples had. They went on the same journeys and witnessed through the Power of the Spirit. 

 

Judas saw Jesus do the many great miracles that all the books of the world could never contain. So what exactly made his end that tragic? The world did! He, like many of us surely met Christ and started with so much love in our hearts for the Lord. Judas would have joined many to affirm Jesus is the Messiah. But the world still went wrong with him.

 

Judas got consumed with the master of the world, mammon. Judas loved money. He wanted the things the world could offer with money. Judas sought anything that would give him more money including betraying his Master and Friend, Jesus! Hence, it is not that Judas did not love Christ at all, he did at the start, he voluntarily chose to follow like Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew, leaving all. 

 

But over time, the world and its ways, the things it could afford began to seem more important to his heart and for that reason, he needed space for the rekindled, renewed love for the world. Love for Jesus had to diminish, very contrary to John the Baptist’s words that said, Christ must take precedence over all else (John 3:30). 

One of the hallmarks of our Christianity is love starting with the upward love for God with all the heart, soul, and strength (Matthew, 22:27). The Holy Spirit given to us at the point of salvation is responsible for spreading this kind of love in our hearts (Rom 5:5). 

 

Love is the greatest commandment, it outlasts faith and hope (1 Cor 13:13). Love is the root of intimate relationship with God. The Bible describes God as love, and says that if we do not love, we do not know God (1 John 4:7-8).

 

Hence, sisters, we must be weary of anything that tries to shift our love from God to other people or things. To keep the fire burning, we must keep our love burning and it all begins in the heart (Prov 4:23). No wonder the Bible encourages us to love not the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15-17).

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Check your heart sis! Judas was not weary of his love for money for if he did, he would have cried out to Jesus and declined to be in possession of the Jesus ministry’s treasury.  We need to ensure that nothing reduces the love for God in our heart. Loving God starts from the heart, the very core of our existence, then the soul with our will, thoughts and emotions, then with our bodily strength. 

 

The beginning of backsliding is when our love for God begins to reduce. This is often because loving God starts from what we do with the body for Him, then the soul before the heart. Unfortunately, the love does not flow downwards. It is an eruption from the depth to the surface.  

 

What can separate you from the love of God? What can reduce your love for God?

Is it marriage, children, a new job, relocation, opportunities or even discouragement?

The Bible is clear, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom 8:38-39). So it is up to us sisters to also answer the question, what can take the love of Christ away from you? You can never love God and love the world at the same time. Choose where your love, heart and treasure is, sisters.

 

Let your heart cry be Lord, take me deeper in love with You: Don Moen – Deeper In Love | Praise and Worship Music 

 

 

Receive help from the Holy Spirit to keep loving God.

 

Read this powerful article by the BUD Family Africa on Lists but no Love 

 

Let Us Pray:

Abba Father, I thank You for loving me and giving me Your Spirit to spread Your love in my heart. Forgive me for all the times I have given my love to other people and things. I pray that nothing would shift my gaze from You henceforth. Keep my love burning Lord. I will love You all the days of my life in Jesus name I pray. Amen