Do You Love Jesus?
What does it mean to Love Jesus?
"Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
- Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
- John 14:21 (NIV)
"We love because he first loved us."
- 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
- Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
- James 2:14-26 (NIV)
Additional Scripture Verses
Mark 12:28-30
Psalm 119:10-11
Deuteronomy 6:5
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Romans 8:28
John 14:23
1 Corinthians 2:9
Actions You Can Take
1. Ask yourself this question:
DO I REALLY BELIEVE Jesus is the Son of God and the ONLY pathway to God or do I still have doubt(s)? If you are not 100% convinced, go back to our first and/or second stages of your faith journey - Do you Know Jesus or Do you follow Jesus so you can be hot and catch on fire for God. If you are struggling to fully understand, and would like some help, seek out a bible based Church so you can get the help you need because, as Jesus tells us in the book or Revelation 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
2. Ask yourself this question: Who is it I glorify by my actions...God? Myself? Material possessions? Fear? Worry? Commit to let God's light shine through you.
3. Understand the difference between Theology and "Meology." Theology is the study of God. "Meology" is the self-focused mindset that prioritizes the individual over the pursuit of God. It's the "I am enough" and "love myself first" attitude that seeks to minimize or even eliminate God. Look inside get depressed. Look around get distressed. Look to God, be at rest.
4. Read/reread the scripture verses and the additional scriptures verses.
5. Praise God as the source of all good things. Give him the credit. It means understanding that with him, anything is possible and without him, nothing is possible. It means expressing our gratitude and giving thanks to him always (both privately in prayer and publicly to others).
Why should Jesus be first?
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
- Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
- Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV)
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed -or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
- Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)
Additional Scripture Verses
1 John 4:19
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Deuteronomy 6:5
In order to live a right relationship with God, according to the Bible and believers, it's not "why should Jesus be first," it's Jesus MUST be first. Why? Because Jesus taught us how to Love. He taught us how to live so that we can experience God in eternity. Declaring Jesus is first in your life creates the only path to a right relationship with God. You get to God through Jesus. By accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and, by faith, living Matthew 22:37-40, you are saved.
God's laws are not burdensome. Nor are they overwhelming in number or detail. As Jesus told anyone who would listen these 2 simple principles: Love God and Love others. When you Love God completely and care for others as you do yourself through Jesus and the sacrifice he made on the Cross for you, for me, for all of humankind, then you will also fill the intent of the 10 commandments and other old Testament laws. Jesus summarized all of these laws into 2 commandments: Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus calls us to let these rule your actions, your decisions, your thoughts, and your beliefs not earthly temptations of money, greed, wealth, envy, jealousy, sexual immorality and other things the devil tempts us with. When you are unsure, ask yourself, what action should you take the best demonstrates Love for God and Love for others? This is how you put Jesus first.
Finally, Jesus must be first because, if he's not, you likely place the devil first. The devil is real. The devil believes in God. The devil believes in Jesus. Both the Devil and God are after your heart. You have to decide which one will control your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Ultimately, these thoughts, these decisions, and these actions will determine whether or not you are in right relationship with Him. Don't allow the devil to dominate your thoughts and daily decisions instead of Jesus. Put Jesus first.
Actions You Can Take
1. Read Mark 4:1-34 + verse summaries because
God’s Kingdom grows through His Word, requiring faith, persistence, and a receptive heart to bear fruit.
2. How can you make God first? Make God the single most important relationship you have in your life so that God through Jesus is first. How can you demonstrate and take action on this? Make God the first thing you do when you wake up. Read the bible and pray. Did you know there are 260 chapters in the new testament? There is a popular Bible reading plan that encourages you to read (or listen to) one chapter of the new testament every weekday. Since there are 265 weekdays (Monday through Friday), you can read the entire new testament in 1 year. If you miss a day, use Saturday to catch up but this is one action you can take to make God's Word first in your daily life. Why? Because reading the Bible will change you life...if you let it. Are you ready to put Jesus first? Simply open your Bible and read Matthew chapter 1...it'll take you about 5 minutes.
3. What else can you do to put Jesus first? Talk to him. In other words, pray. Pray as often as you can. When you Pray, you demonstrate that you are eager to spend quality time with Him. Jesus taught us how to live. He taught us how to pray. He taught us everything we need to live a right relationship with God Almighty.
4. Put God first by praising Him for all good things.
How can I Love Jesus more?
"This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
- Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
- John 15:4-5 (NIV)
"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
- Philippians 3:7-10 (NIV)
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
- James 2:14-26 (NIV)
Additional Scripture Verses
James 4:8
Psalm 63:1-4
Ephesians 3:16-19
As James and the Bible says in James chapter 4 verse 8, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
In order to "Love God more," you have to take action to come nearer to God. He is waiting for you. He Loves you. He wants to be in a right relationship with you. Jesus Loves you. Jesus wants you to commit and accept him as your Lord and Savior not only with your words and thoughts, but with your actions too. Salvation isn't by works, Jesus and his apostles make that very clear. But, once you know, you have to go. Yes you have a choice but, in God's eyes you do not. You must choose the narrow path. You must choose to come near to God so that he can guide your path. Your daily actions are an expression of your faith. Faith isn't an obligation. Faith is an opportunity to live Jesus's 2 greatest commandments: Love God, Love Others...and let God take care of the rest.
Hate Evil
The Bible makes it clear that loving God also means hating evil. Hatred of evil is not about personal bitterness but about rejecting sin, injustice, and anything that opposes God's holiness. Here are powerful scripture verses that directly connect loving God with hating evil.
Psalm 97:10 – "Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked."
Proverbs 8:13 – "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
Romans 12:9 – "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."
Amos 5:14-15 – "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts."
Ephesians 5:11 – "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
Proverbs 6:16-19 – "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."
1 John 2:15-16 – "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world."
Hebrews 1:9 – "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 – "Test everything. Hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil."
Actions You Can Take
1. Devote quality time to building a right relationship with him so that you can apply God's word. Applying God's word helps us grow spiritually, physically, and mentally. For example, a muscle that is exercised will become stronger. Unused muscles, however, get weaker and flabby. Muscles, like you, only have 2 choices: They Grow stronger or they grow weaker. Which one are you putting into practice?
2. Don't make rules for yourself and don't let others make rules for you unless they answer these questions because good rules pass all 4 of these tests:
Does the rule serve God’s purposes (lead people toward truth, justice, and righteousness)? See Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:7-10; Micah 6:8; Matthew 6:33
Does the rule reveal God’s character (reflect his love, justice, mercy, and holiness? See Exodus 34:6-7; Malachi 3:6;Hebrews 13:8; John 1:14; James 2:12-13
Does the rule help people get into God’s family or keep them out (doesn't create barriers to salvation)? See Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 15:19; Matthew 28:19-20
Does the rule have biblical roots that can be supported in the context of all of scripture (isn't based on human tradition, personal preference, or cultural trends)? See Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:105; Matthew 4:4; Mark 7:8
Note: never base a rule on just one verse taken out of context. Go to God in prayer, read more of the bible, or ask for help from a bible based Christian if you are confused or unsure about whether or not rule passes these 4 tests.
3. Tithe to a bible focused church. Tithe is the biblical practice of giving our "first fruits" to God as a loving sacrifice to Him. Need a
4. Worship God publicly by joining a community of bible based and focused church.
5. Pray the Lord's Prayer as often as you can (Matthew 6:9-13)
6. Read the entire New Testament
7. Read the entire Old Testament
8. Volunteer at Bible based Church or for a Bible guided organization.
9. Insert each of these words (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How) one at a time into the following phrase:
_________ do I worship? Be honest with yourself and, when necessary, work to align your words and actions with God.
Spiritual Growth is God's Timing...
"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
- Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV)
Keep Going...
"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I keep going toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 3:13-14