What's love got to do with it?

Think for just a minute about all the people and things you love!  I bet it didn’t take long for people and things to come to mind.

Just for the fun of it, stop now and grab a pen and paper and write down the names of people you love.  Okay, now write down some things you love doing.  Come on!  Play along with me for a minute. 

Now, think about the ways in which you show your love.  

You probably spend a lot of time with the people you love by doing things together, sharing and listening, remembering the things that are important to them and doing special things for them. You make them a priority and the relationship a priority.  I imagine there are things in your life that you love as well and enjoying these things and because you enjoy them they take priority over other things – even relationships.  For instance, you could be an avid golfer, gardener, sports fan or athlete, reader, or Bible study leader!  The point is we all carve out time for the people and things we love.  We not only spend time enjoying the people and things we love but we put in the time it takes to learn more about the people and things because it enhances the relationships and experiences.

Okay, I’ve given you a few ideas.  Now, it’s your turn. Next to the people and things you love doing, write down some ways in which you show or express your love.

Great.  Now, here's my next question.

Do you love Jesus?

I was asked this question once by a dear friend.  Someone I loved had died and as I was sharing this information with my friend, she asked:  “Did she love Jesus?”  She didn’t ask me if this beloved person had ever invited Jesus into her heart or if she’d ever accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord.  While these are great questions, I thought my friend’s question was a much better way of getting to the matter of what it means to have a “relationship” with Jesus. 

I mean really...think about it.  Intellectually, we can accept all the truths from the Bible about Jesus.  We can hear them explained or read them for ourselves and be moved to declare these as facts and truth.  We can even walk an aisle in response and maybe even go so far as to be baptized.  We can know they are the truth in such a way that we are motivated to go to church, serve in our churches, sing praise songs, and even lead Bible studies.  Sometimes we can agree, be moved to declare these as facts and true and yet for a variety of reasons decide we don’t want to be part of the organized church. The point is, we tell ourselves we believe in Jesus or have accepted Jesus or believe He is Savior and Lord. #selftalk

But, do we love Jesus?

It’s a simple yet profound question.

If you wrote Jesus on your “love” list, what would you write beside His name as the ways in which you show Him your love and how would that list compare to how you show your love for others in your life or even the things you love doing? 

In what specific ways do you express your love to Jesus?

Yes, I know…it’s an up in our face kind of question but seriously Y'all…the answer reveals everything about our relationship with Jesus and if we really have one....or not.

• Accepting Jesus is all about a relationship…
• Believing Jesus is all about a relationship...
• Inviting Jesus into your heart is all about a relationship…
• Declaring Jesus as Savior and Lord is declaring that relationship with Him takes priority over all other relationships and things...

When we say we love Jesus it means we spend time with Him getting to know Him.  We spend time listening to Him by spending time in His Word and we learn what pleases Him so we can do what pleases Him.  There are visible signs in our lives that our relationship with Him is a priority.  Meaning we talk about Him, share things about Him with others, and want others to meet Him and get to know Him.  You can’t imagine going for long without spending time with Him, or talking to Him or talking about Him to others!  Because you love Him you make decisions and live your life in a way that respects and honors Him.  It's a personal relationship.

So, let me ask you again…do you love Jesus?

If this question has you thinking and you’d love to dig deeper into your thoughts about having a relationship with Jesus, I’d love to help you by sending you the first 4 Chapters of the “Self-Talk” workbook.  They are free, no strings attached.  However, if you decide to work through these pages, I’d love to hear from you.

To receive the first 4 Chapters of the "Self-Talk" workbook, click here. 

What's love got to do with it?  Everything!

P.S.  I promise I won’t be emailing you and you are not being put on any kind of email marketing list that will be used by me or others.  Really!