Have Christians Fallen out of Love with Jesus?
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It seems silly to ask have Christians fallen out of love with Jesus when Christians are supposed to be all about Jesus. However, if our love for Jesus is supposed to be measured by the way we live and the things we make important in our lives, then maybe this question is not so silly after all.
Think of all the animosity we have seen in recent years over who you voted for or whether you were asked to wear a mask in church. Imagine some Christians tied wearing a mask to a lack of faith or believing the lies. God forbid you voted for the other guy, then I want nothing to do with you.
Can you show me how this is an example of loving your neighbor? If we can’t show love and compassion to people in these situations, then how can we say we love Jesus?
For a moment, think of all the things Jesus did to show he loved his neighbor.
As you look at Jesus’ life, all he did was love his neighbor. He didn’t care what the surrounding people thought, because he made loving his neighbor a priority. If we are going to be Christians, we must love our neighbor as ourselves, because if we don’t, we don’t really love Jesus.
3. They Don’t Love Their Enemies
For many Christians today, loving your enemy is so passe. This is one of those commands where we can easily find an excuse for why we won’t obey it. Usually that excuse begins with something like, “but you don’t know what they did to me.”
If you refuse to love your enemy, then you are not following the command Jesus gave and the model Jesus set. It could be a real indicator you have fallen out of love with Jesus. Jesus was mocked, whipped, beaten, wrongfully accused, had a crown of thorns pressed into his head, and nailed to a cross. Yet when he was hanging on the cross, he cried out Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing. Jesus was loving his enemies and showing compassion for them. Like it or not, this is the command Jesus has given and the model he has set for us, and if we love him, we must follow it too.
If we are going to be Christians and truly love Jesus, then it will cost us something. It means you lay down your rights, your wants, and even your justifications because you love him and want to represent him well on the earth. It is time for us to be Christians who do more than celebrate how much we go to church or mention how important our faith is. We need to be Christians who live out our love for Jesus in our lives every day.
Living out our love for Jesus won’t change everyone, but it will bring glory and honor to the name of Jesus, and that is something worth living for.
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