Natural and Necessary...

I read this today in an article by John Piper. His honesty and passion for Jesus always humble me.

"Loving Jesus is natural and necessary for the children of God. It’s natural because it’s part of our nature as children of God. “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God” (John 8:42). The children of God have the natural disposition to love his Son.

Loving Jesus is also necessary because Paul says that if you don’t love Jesus, you will be cursed: “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (1 Corinthians 16:22). Loving Jesus is an essential (not optional) mark of being a beneficiary of God’s grace. “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible” (Ephesians 6:24). If you hold fast to the love of anything above Jesus, you are not his disciple: “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” (Matthew 10:37).

Loving Jesus is not the same as obeying all of Jesus’ commands. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). That means that obedience to the commandments is the result of loving Jesus, not the same as loving Jesus. Love is something invisible and inside. It is the root that produces the visible fruit of loving others."

That's the thing that convicted me most: Love and obedience are NOT the same thing. There are so many people "obeying" the commandments of Jesus that truly do not love Him. Whatever the reason, I think that I can do this thing and walk this way and talk this way and then it means that I love Jesus. How deceived am I?! My love for Jesus should overflow into obedience not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to.

When I consider my natural state: deprived, lonely, hopeless, helpless, sinful. And then think about Jesus' sacrifice to make me whole, complete, redeemed, hopeful, eternal - well then, I just can't find words to express my sadness and conviction.

I want to be so in love with Jesus that my life scream I LOVE JESUS CHRIST! And, my friends, I really do love Him. I love Jesus Christ. Honestly, I'm not sure if I consider my love for Jesus as natural and necessary on a daily basis. Sure, I know that this love is natural - otherwise I might consider myself insane for some of the choices and decisions I've made, knowing they were from the Lord. I know I am a child of God, it's natural for me to love the Son of God. Necessary, though. How often do I live that out? How often do I consider that without my love for Jesus - a growing, engaging, powerful love - I may just fade away?

*To see the whole article, you can go here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/12all/index.php?action=archive&mode=view&mi=365&nl=1&ei=themcbrides2@gmail.com