Who Do You REALLY Love?

Who Do You REALLY Love?

by David Brenneman 

There's many, many, many songs in this world with lyrics asking us the question: Who do you love?

To begin with...know what love really is.  It's not the selfish, self-based, set of feelings that the world gets its definition from.  The world's ideology on what love is, is taking what belongs only to God, and placing it somewhere else. 

We, even as Christians, can both knowingly and unknowingly, move our love to the things of this world.  

A thought that's been moving around a lot in my mind of late is being sure that my love for Jesus is stronger than my love for anything of this world.  Words are words, actions are actions.  Our actions speak louder than our words.  

When temptation strikes...do you remind yourself "No...I love Jesus more than that."

When sin crouches at the door of your heart...do you turn to Jesus instead and pray for His help because you love Him more?

It's interesting to note that the same door that Believers bid Jesus to enter through to come in and be the forgiver of their sins and the Leader of their lives...is that very same door that sin knocks on to come in as well. 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Love your neighbor as yourself."  Doesn't leave room for the world which says to all that coexistence is possible. 

There is no room for coexistence in your heart with the world.  Who do you love?  It's not that complicated of a question. 

Do you love Jesus enough to turn on sin and temptation to remind it that you love Jesus more than that whatever it is that wants a piece of you?

Turning to Jesus to be saved is but the beginning.  Jesus begins a work in us that goes on throughout our physical life.  Satan's going to constantly seek permission to introduce temptation's foot in the door to get that work to slow to a crawl.  He can't stop it, because once we enter Heaven's gates, sanctification is completed.  He can get us so distracted, especially by our convincing ourselves that there's nothing wrong with those desires, to slow that work in us.

We are honestly experts in convincing ourselves of why we deserve this pleasure or that.  It's in our sin nature that we're all born into.  Satan likes to fan the flame. 

Eve was convinced quite easily of that forbidden fruit that she and Adam obviously were denied that they deserved to have. Adam was quite easily convinced to go along with it. Selfishness was an easy thing for the Deceiver to bring into their lives.  

Look at your home.

Look at your apparel. 

Look at your time spent. 

Look at where your desires take you. 

Look at the sins that you've committed. 

Look at what you've asked Jesus to forgive you of and for. 

Look at it...where does the evidence say your love goes to?

Who do you love?  Do you adore your sins more than you love Jesus?  It's a very very powerful question. 

Are you one who's given up because you think that the sins that so easily entangled you are just too much, that Jesus must have given up on you?

Jesus 

has

never 

ever

given 

up

on 

you.

I can tell you of some of my darkest hours. Hours where I could never conceive of the light of Christ let alone remember what His love felt like.  

Jesus, no matter what your life situation is, is a single step for you to return to Him.  He kept His promise to Adam and Eve that in time He would save humanity. He wrote in the Old Testament in dozens and dozens of places of every single sign that He would be coming. In the Gospels we read of His promise kept that He indeed came.  He gave His word that He would die for the sins of humanity and did. He promised to come back from the dead to conquer sin, death and the grave. He did that too.  He promised to never leave you nor forsake you...I am here to say that is a kept promise too because I am living proof.  I was in such darkness in 1999 that I felt suicide was my only option. I was drowning so far in sin and darkness that I couldn't find a way out other than to grasp His hand in those waters.  I am here today because He kept His promise. 

This whole thought on "who do you love?" is a fantastic comeback to the wiles of temptations.  Reminding ourselves to raise the shield of faith and declare "No! I love Jesus more!"  Kick that door closed to sin.

My Dear Reader...after you look at your life...should you indeed see things that you've taken your adoration for Jesus and misplaced it to...don't count the cost...just get rid of those things, those thoughts.  Jesus asked us all the question "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  What can he give in exchange for his soul?"

You are a single solitary step away from the hand of Jesus reaching out to you to bring you back into His embrace. 

Don't think the distance is so great that it's impossible.  The power of Christ Jesus is not limited by anything.   The sins of humanity that His blood covered were all past, present and future sins.  All your sins were future sins because you weren't born yet.  His shed blood has you covered.

If you're reading this and haven't come to Christ for salvation...you're one decision away.  Cry out to Jesus to save you and He will. He is the promise keeper.  You may or may not fully escape the consequences of your life but you will now have the Advocate in your life to see you through the rest of your life. 

Who do you love? 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.