Sometimes when I'm absolutely happy a thought comes up in my mind: "what if it all ends in a moment?" The events of the last few months showed us how our normal and nice lifestyle can be destroyed very quickly and that the people we love will not always be with us, and will not even always be...
However, I'm not saying all that to bring you down! Those kinds of thoughts usually lead me to one very important question: what is my heart attached to? If tomorrow I lose everything I value now, what will I hold on to?
If our love and hope are put in something material or even people or circumstances, changes will easily break it. But if in all my blessings my eyes are fixed on Jesus, He will not let me fall during the hardest circumstances.
How to Be Worthy?
Recently someone asked to explain some of Jesus' words:
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" Matt. 10:37
To be honest, I didn't think I could do that, especially from a practical point of view. Obviously, we all love our parents (and children) and it's really hard to draw a line. So I didn't even want to try and answer this question. But then in my heart, I realized what Jesus would have wanted me to say.
If you don't love Jesus the most, you don't love Jesus.
This sounds pretty radical, but think about it. If your heart is not captured by Him, it's captured by something else. The time, attention, and efforts that you put into something else indicate that you don't belong to God, but you belong to something (someone) else. In this situation, how can we call ourselves Jesus' followers if our hearts do not follow Him?
I hope you know, that loving your parents, spouse, or children is not a sin, but rather a commandment. Loving your life, your church, or even loving nice food or fancy vacations is not a bad thing. As apostle Paul wrote: "All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12).
If tomorrow you can't have a nice meal, if your closest friend leaves for a thousand miles, if you feel completely alone, will you still love the Lord? Will you hold on to Him, will you share your sorrows with Him, will you seek comfort in Him?
Jesus Worshipper or Idol Worshipper?
The purpose of this short article is to make us think: who or what do I love the most? Apostle John wrote: "keep yourselves from idols" (John 5:21). Do we have any idols in our lives?
You can read the Bible every day but also spend hours playing computer games or binge-watching Netflix. You can be very active in church but place all your focus on activities rather than the heart of God. You can go to church every Sunday but the rest of your time only think about how to make some more money. You can teach people how to love and follow Jesus but not follow your own teaching. You can post and repost Christian quotes and videos but spend hours on inappropriate pages. You can play in a worship band but away from church be an ardent fan of some music band (or a football team). You can be a Sunday school teacher but don't teach your own children to pray, only caring for their physical needs. You can call yourself a Christian but not be one because your heart doesn't belong to Jesus.
What Does the Heart Want?
If you recognised yourself in one of those examples (or have your own which reminds you of it), you're not alone. But what can you do about it? How do you love Jesus with all your heart?
There's a saying "heart wants what it wants", but I don't agree with it. In human relationships as well as in your relationship with God you can teach your heart what to want with discipline and right thinking. My advice would be the same as for the rest of my posts. Think about God, talk to God, seek God, and worship God. Study His word, and spend your time in His presence and in fellowship with the saints (aka church). Fill your life and your thoughts with Jesus, and your heart will be filled with love for Him.
Only when your life is built on the firm foundation, when your treasure is gathered in heaven, when your heart is fully committed to Jesus, no losses or changes can take your purpose in life and your peace and hope. Only then you will be worthy of being called by the name of Christ because He is your Teacher and your Lord. And only then, when you come to the gates of heaven, you'll be able to hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master!"
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