Loving Jesus More Than Anyone or Anything
Loving someone often happens naturally.
But maintaining loving another person is not that easy. In fact, it takes work.
Love.
A small and seemingly simple word. Yet it holds more power than we realize.
And I’m not an expert on the subject of love. Instead, I held misconceptions about love as a child and young woman. Like my friend expressed, Hang-ups about love form from emotionally expensive experiences. ~ Jo Ann Fore
You see, my father abandoned me for a time, and I never remember the phrase “I love you!” by either of my parents until later in life.
I was grown with my own children the first time my father uttered the words I love you. The conversation’s forever etched in my memory.
Still, as much as I wanted to hear my dad tell me he loved me, I needed to believe it. And I longed for the reassurance he meant it.
You know what? The same holds true today. My husband can never tell me or show me he loves me too many times.
Because a continual and intentional assurance of love takes any relationship to a higher and deeper level. Pure and whole-hearted love, in the most powerful form, is a show-and-tell affection.
Loving Jesus
Likewise, the words I love You, Jesus! rise in my heart and roll off my tongue more often these days. Why?
Maybe I’m tired of surface substitutes for real love. Perhaps I’ve grown weary of this: what Jesus made true about love, people made fake. And I believe Christ is teaching me about an authentic and lasting love.
I’m tired of surface substitutes for real love. I’ve grown weary of this: what Jesus made true about love, people made fake. #Loving #love #Jesus Share on X2012 marked a spiritual milestone in my life, written in my journal. I decided to fall head over heels in love with Jesus, loving Him more than anyone or anything.
Can we fall in love with Christ and stay in love with Him—pure and whole-hearted affection? Not only is this kind of love relationship possible, but it’s what the Lord intended all along.
Love Jesus With All
How to experience this love relationship is found in the answers to two questions.
(1.) What’s the greatest commandment?
This question posed to Christ: “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV, emphasis mine).
Dictionary.com defines heart as “The center of total personality, especially with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion.”
Merriam-webster explains soul as “A person’s moral or emotional nature or sense of identity. The spiritual part of a human being.”
Google tells us the mind is “The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought. A person’s mental processes, intellect.”
Therefore, every part of me—my whole being—loves Jesus. I love Him with my heart and emotions, through my spiritual identity, and in my mind and experiences. That’s the greatest commandment and the greatest love.
Love Jesus Because He Loves
(2.) Where did love originate?
1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” (ESV).
God created love and demonstrated love on Calvary’s cross through His Son—a show-and-tell affection.
Jesus loved us so much, He died for us. Yet our motivation for loving Jesus is not out of a sense of guilt as though we owe it to Him. Or even loving Christ for what He can do for us.
Since Jesus loves us, we reciprocate. Because His love is unconditional, it draws our hearts in and strengthens our affections toward Him. This higher and deeper love surpasses love from people—even those who love us well.
Loving Jesus More
Loving Jesus more than anyone or anything means giving all of myself to Him alone, not to the idols or shiny gods of this world.
Loving Jesus above all else isn’t radical Christianity or even Jesus freaks. It’s the heart of true disciples.
So I ask myself reflective questions: Is there a person in my life I love more than Jesus? Or, do I put another person or thing above my devotion and affections to Jesus?
Is there a person in my life I love more than Jesus? Or, do I put another person or thing above my devotion and affections to Jesus? #Loving #love #Jesus Share on XEarly this morning (Wednesday, 8/26) as I was thinking about finishing up this article, and before I stepped out of bed, I told Jesus I love Him more than anyone or anything. I plan to say this declaration every morning before starting my day and devotions.
I'm committed to daily telling Jesus I love Him more than anyone or anything, even before I step out of bed and start my day and devotions. #Loving #love #Jesus Share on X
Will you declare your loving devotion to Jesus daily?
Are there any thoughts you would add on loving Christ more?
If you missed last week’s article, The Greatest Reward for Following Jesus Christ.
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Literacy Musings/Tell His Story/Purposeful Faith/Recharge Wednesday/Worth Beyond Rubies/Tune in Thursday/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected and Faith On Fire.
© 2020 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Amen. While reading your message, the song by Casting Crowns called “Loving My Jesus” kept playing in my mind. Yes, yes, I love Jesus. I am thankful for His love.
I’m so thankful for the love of Jesus! I’ll have to look up that song and remind myself of the lyrics! Thanks, Melissa!
Wonderful post. We truly don’t know how to love until Christ enters our lives. Through Him, we learn what love really is.
You nailed it, J.D. We don’t really know real love until Jesus enters our lives and hearts. And it’s only because He took the nails.
We can love because He first loved us, and we need to show that same exclusive love back to Jesus. I so want my heart to be His, Karen! Thanks for your inspiration here today.
Martha, I so want to show this great love back to Christ. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” (ESV).
Good morning Karen,
Thank you so much for this post. I can feel the love of Jesus outpouring here. Yes, Lord, I stand with my sister, we love You more than anything. And thank you, Karen, for stating this love for Jesus is “heart of true disciples”. May we recognize as His people His invitation is more about love than anything else. Love in Christ, Julie
Thanks for your encouraging words, Julie. And standing in agreement. Loving Jesus above all else isn’t radical Christianity or even Jesus freaks. It’s the heart of true disciples.
Karen,
You touched me with your declaration. I am so struggling with loving Him above all others. In theory, yes I do. But, then I let disappointment over not seeing my granddaughter effect me. I feel like I live for her love and acceptance. Even though she is not yet 2. My daughter and I do not have a close relationship and she is not good with terms of endearments or physical touch , unlike me. So , it’s strained most of the time. I yearn for Abby’s unconditional love and hugs.. I have felt conviction over this, so please pray for me. I pray for my daughter constantly for her heart to be softened and; she would genuinely love me. As of now it seems so conditional. I know God can change that and He is the only one.. Carla
Oh, Carla. I’m so sorry you are experiencing this in your life and in your heart. I have a broken family relationship also. It’s sad and troubling, isn’t it? Don’t feel bad about yearning for a loving relationship with a daughter and grandchild. God meant for these relationships to be true and affectionate in the most godly way. But our world itself is broken and evil reigns here for now. But, yes, the Lord wants us to seek loving Him first and most. Praying with you over your family.
I haven’t been in the habit of telling Jesus I love Him every day so I can’t honestly say that I do. I know I tell Him often, but I will now make it a daily habit. Thank you for this. (And I’m glad you heard those words from your biological father. :))
Glad this inspired you, Stephen. Thanks about my father expressing his love for me. It meant the world, so how much more does Jesus want to hear it from us also.
I have found for me that I can continue to love Him wholeheartedly as long as I stay connected to the Word and prayer. It is not saying I don’t Love him when I don’t but there’s a deep connection of love versus an understanding/knowing about God’s love. Being in His presence and in the word helps my spirit unite closer to where I can honestly say I love Him with every fiber of my being. There are many today that love Him head wise without relationship yet I wonder can they truly deeply love without really knowing Him? Love is an action word and there may be many He is asking today “Do you really love me.”
You make a great point, Valerie. The gospel of John tells us Jesus IS the Word. So it makes sense we can’t really love Jesus with ALL unless we are in the Word and prayer. And worship music boosts my affections for Christ, too.
A show-and-tell affection. I love that! May we endeavor to show and tell Him our love and thank Him for showing and telling us so vividly.
Thanks for commenting, Barbara. Since Jesus loves us, we reciprocate. Because His love is unconditional, it draws our hearts in and strengthens our affections toward Him. This higher and deeper love surpasses love from people—even those who love us well.
Such a sad commentary on our culture that the word “love” is used in conversation more than any time in history, but it has been trivialized to refer to pizza or a new dress or the latest movie. If we could only remember that God’s love for us cost Jesus His earthly life and gives us eternal life. Then the word “love” would be raised to its rightful place!
Ava, agree. We “love” everything from food to our favorite sports team to songs and books. And what we consider loves in our life normally don’t cost us much or anyone much for that matter. But Jesus. It cost Him everything so we could love Him with everything we have!
We love because he first loved us. He took the first step of extending himself in love, not only as the Creator God but as the One who voluntarily gave up his life for us on the cross, so that we can be saved and live eternally with him. He has borne all the risk and all the cost. Who can resist such love? His love provoked and inspired my love for him and continues to inspire that love.
Amen, Melinda. God created love and demonstrated love on Calvary’s cross through His Son—a show-and-tell affection.
Jesus loved us so much, He died for us. Yet our motivation for loving Jesus is not out of a sense of guilt as though we owe it to Him. Or even loving Christ for what He can do for us. It’s the highest affection of our heart.
Sometimes, the things we say remind our hearts of what is truly important. Great reminders here, Karen!
Thank you, Nancy. Yes, reminders for our hearts with words of affirmation. Jesus, we love you more than anyone or anything.
I’m so glad that Jesus loved me first. He is the ultimate representation of love because He IS love.
This post was comforting while still asking a tough question: “Is there a person in my life I love more than Jesus? Or, do I put another person or thing above my devotion and affections to Jesus?”
Blessings, Karen!
So true, Becky. Love has a name. It’s Jesus. I pray to keep asking those reflective questions to my heart on a regular basis. Jesus, we love you more!
YES!!! What is the greatest commandment? To LOVE the Lord with all of our hearts and souls. So true, Karen. I think a lot of us have some baggage from our childhoods as you describe in your post. Thank goodness Jesus shows us how to love.
Laurie, that’s what is so great about the Lord. He not only gives us a commandment for our good and His glory, but He also helps us fulfill it if we only call out to Him for help. Jesus, we love you more than all else!
I believe in your message. We learn to love because God loves us. Without understanding or feeling His love, people search in all the wrong places and never find it. God’s love could transform our society if only more people would seek Him.
People do search in the wrong places for real love. So glad to have found it in Christ!
This is so true, Karen! Like marriage, love requires a constant, intentional movement toward one another, refusing to allow anything or anyone (other than God) to come between them. I’m sorry you didn’t hear the words every little girl wants to hear but I’m thankful the little girl within you heard them as an adult. Blessings, friend!
Cathy, I like how you said this, “Like marriage, love requires a constant, intentional movement toward one another, refusing to allow anything or anyone (other than God) to come between them.” May we continue to move toward Jesus as He’s always moving toward us. Thank you!
Great reminder. LOVE is constant, never-ending, something we must pour into over and over. Loving Jesus, loving people… it’s all connected.
Agree, Jessica. Your words “something we must pour into over and over” reminded me of: “Each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me.” (Psalm 42:8 NLT)
Karen, great posts! Your words remind me that love and maintaining it is work but, loving is worth the effort. Especially when we consider our relationship with God, keeping ourselves in an open dialogue daily is a must if we are to grow in our love for Him.
Thanks for writing.
Oh, yes, Diane, any love relationship takes work to maintain it. Because “loving is worth the effort.”
Hallelujah and Amen!!
We love you, Jesus!
It gives me goosebumps thinking about how much God loves us. We are so blessed. Great post. Maree
Holy Ghost goosebumps. I want to love Jesus back, striving to love like He loves.
“A continual and intentional assurance of love takes any relationship to a higher and deeper level.” No one loves me more than Jesus; no earthly love can take the place of that love. I need to express my love for him intentionally every single day!
So true, Candice. No one loves us like Jesus Christ! We are surrounded by His love.
Karen,
I can relate to not hearing the words, “I love you,” from my earthly father. I compounded things by searching for love and validation in my first marriage. My husband became an idol to me and since he was abusive, it ended up doing more harm than good. It wasn’t until, like you, I shifted my focus to falling in love with Jesus and also learning (through study) about just how much God loves me, that I was able to let go of needing constant validation and affirmation from people. Now, God has blessed me a very godly man who cherishes me, but still I have to say that my “first love” will always be Christ. Great post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Bev, you comment spoke to me…searching for love and validation and attention and affirmation in all the wrong ways. My first love will always be Christ, not only because He first loved me, but because He is worthy of our love and affections! Thankfulfor your marraige and husband God surely blessed you with!
I love your heart, Karen, and your message here today is spot on! We truly do need to love Jesus more than anything or anyone, especially if we hope to navigate life with confidence when others do not love us back. I can relate somewhat to your childhood story, as I grew up in a family that rarely if ever spoke those precious three little words. It’s just so important to give that never-ending gift away! Pinning and tweeting, my friend! I hope you are doing well!
“…if we hope to navigate life with confidence when others do not love us back.” Very powerful, Beth. Not everyone reciprocates our love, particularly if it’s love from Jesus. The love of Jesus absolutely should spill into our other relationships or something is amiss. No matter how others respond to us.
Thank you for sharing beautiful truths about the love of Jesus. This really resonated with me: “Loving Jesus above all else isn’t radical Christianity or even Jesus freaks. It’s the heart of true disciples.” We are so apt to set aside the true love of Jesus as something too far out there for this day and age. And yet, His love is precisely what Jesus wants to work in our hearts. It is everything we need for this time: to be His true disciple.
Bettie, I have family members and friends who have said I take this “Jesus thing” too far. But it’s a complement. Christ himself described following and loving Him above all.
Jesus’s love is indeed the perfect example and the one that sets the tone for all the other loves to be possible in our lives. Thanks, Karen! My husband and I celebrate our 28th anniversary tomorrow so I’m sure there will be lots of “I love you”s said again and again. 🙂
Lisa, Hope you had a great anniversary. Now, I’m all about a show AND TELL love!
Karen, thank you for bringing us back to the heart of the matter, our first love, Jesus Christ. I love how you applied this to real life experiences. Yes, love take work and daily maintenance. Like a fire that burns bright, it will burn out if we don’t add wood, stir the embers, etc. And most importantly in the case of Jesus, we can put nothing or no one ahead of Him. That is a hard lesson that I am still learning. May I love Him first and most. For He is worthy of all my love.
“Our first love.” Amen, Melissa. Just as in marriage and any relationship, love takes hard work and maintenance, so it’s no different with Jesus. In fact, it’s the highest relationship we are called to as Christians. Lord, help us love you above all!
Hi Dear Friends,
I have been keeping a journal for years now, since I chose to ‘return to my first Love’ who I had sorely neglected through years of marriage, business and children. Jesus has wonderfully met me, and revealed Himself as the Lover of my soul. Once I would have answered the question “Do you love Jesus?” with a yes that was more like a ‘I hope I do!” But now, “Yes, more than anything. He is sooooo wonderful and amazing and beautiful and gracious and kind and forgiving…” Anyway, for those who love Jesus, here is a Journal entry I believe He inspired me to jot down last month. I am always amazed how PERSONAL He is, and how totally faithful. I have read that a traditional Jewish groom, once he commits to marriage, is 100% not going back. It is not an option for him. He is TOTALLY committed (whereas she can call it off at any time, for any reason, or even for no reason!). That is how He feels about us. TOTALLY COMMITTED to loving us. Anyway, here goes. Read it slowly. Freely I have received, so how can I hold such a thing to myself? : “I am coming to you, My love. Do not be afraid. I come quickly. I do not turn aside. My eyes are upon you and My heart is fixed towards you. Lift up your eyes and look at Me. Gaze at Me. I never tire of your gaze. I never grow weary of your being with Me. I am your Perfect Beloved. Be patient with your other beloveds who aren’t perfect. I also am always working in them, as in you, to bring them to a place of greater blessing and freedom. Suffer the wounds, My love. Fill your heart with longing for Me. Fill your days with loving your enemies; your mouth with words of blessing for those who hate you, and your hands with acts of My kindness. I remain ever with you. Jesus.”
Melanie, That. Is. Beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing from your journal. We really can love Jesus more than anyone or anything. Because He’s the lover of our soul, it’s the best relationship on the planet!
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