So I have wanted to blog about this for a while, but every time I sat down to type it was as if I had no idea what to say. Isn’t it ironic how the English language has over 1,000,000 words ( yes I had to look that up on Google) and yet I was left speechless with what to say? Very unlike me (because if you know me you know I love to talk…what can I say?)
You are probably sitting there thinking, ok, well can you tell me what you are talking about now? Yes, yes I can.
In today’s Christian culture there is a lot of what some of us would call “Christianese”. Christianese is the scientific terminology for language that is used frequently inside Christian circles. For example, “Oh she just loves people SO well”, “I had an amazing time in the Word this morning”, or even “Praise the Lamb with the harp and lyre”.
All of those phrases are well-meaning, sweet phrases of Christian communication and yes, I have said all of them. However, there is one phrase being used quite often and it sticks out to me:
“That person loves Jesus.”
How often do we hear that phrase? This person or that person “loves” Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I hear that phrase a LOT. Probably on a daily basis. Typically, I do not bat an eyelash. However, the other day, I heard someone say it and I thought to myself, “Ok, but what does that even mean?”
When someone says another person “LOVES Jesus”, what does that mean? Does that mean their Bible is highlighted out of the wazoo? Does that mean that person has a fish on their car? Does that mean they listen to Bethel (and not just “You Make Me Brave”)? Does that mean they don’t cuss? Does that mean that person is outspoken about Jesus? Does that mean that person goes to a church?
What does loving Jesus mean?
I am well-aware it is going to be impossible to fully explain what loving Jesus means in a blog post. However, I do want to merely pose the question.
Let’s think about it like a marriage. After all, God is quite fond of referring to Himself as the Bridegroom and His people the Bride. In a marriage, I would be willing to bet the husband and wife would say they love each other…that’s pretty standard, right? But if you LOVE something, that shapes you. It alters you in some way. You cannot say you love your husband and wife and continue to live a single life as if they were not in existence…NO! Your entire life becomes shaped, modeled, and impassioned by your love of your spouse…the world knows you love your spouse…
I would like to say that I love Jesus. That He is precious to me and I adore Him. And yet, is my life truly altered because of my love for Him? Do people look at my life and say, “Wow, Campbell is impassioned by Jesus. It is obvious how much she loves him because her entire life is attributed to that love”; just like in a marriage.
You see, because that’s what love is. Love does not leave things as they are; love CONSUMES. And as cute as it is to say “I love Jesus”, am I willing to attach myself to all of implications and actions encompassed in that statement?
Because Christ did not simply say He loved me…Christ SHOWED His love for me in that while I was still a sinner. While I still hated Him. While I spat in His face. While I wanted nothing to do with Him. While I was an ADULTEROUS Bride…WHILE I WAS STILL A SINNER, Christ died for me. He died as a demonstration of His love.
Christ did not just say, “I love Campbell”, but I am going to leave her damned; I am not going to demonstrate my love. Christ’s love moved Him to action. His entire life was shaped by His love.
So what’s the point of this long blog post you ask? Well, as a Christian, as someone who claims to love Christ, I have to look at my life. Does my life reflect the love of Christ? Is everything in my life affected by my claim of love for Jesus? Do I say I love Him and continue to pursue a perfect body as if that is going to give me JOY? Do I say I love Him and continue to put value in having THINGS? Do I say I love Him and tear others down at a moment of weakness simply because I can?
So I am asking you today, Christian, do we REALLY love Jesus? Or is it just a cute phrase we throw out because it sounds nice?
Because a claim of love carries weight. A claim of love MEANS something. So if I say I love Jesus, what does that mean? It means I love Him. And everything, yes EVERYTHING in my life is directed correlated to that love. My life is consumed by it. I am no longer single, but I am married to Christ.
