The morning wasn’t that different – my alarm went off, I grabbed my phone, and the fight for my day began.
Vying for my attention are:
- the new texts,
- email’s,
- Facebook,
- and twitter status
- not to mention G+
- and daily work load.
But I desire to occupy my mind in the morning with God.
It’s a daily fight – sadly, sometimes I lose, or do I win – someone wins. Sometimes, my priorities are off and I rocket into work issues, or keep up with my social networks.
Then it happens – John 14:15 races through my mind “If you love me, you will keep my commandments“.
So regularly used as the hammer of preachers to conform the dross nominal Christian into warriors of prayer, devotion, and performance. These this is antithetical to Jesus’ purposes here.
In marriage if we love our spouse, we’ll not cheat on them. We’ll honor them in my behavior, in our restraint, and in our thought life. At the same time, instantiating a bodily honor, a firm restraint, and a iron clad thought life do NOT build my love for my spouse.
A brute ability to adhere to performance does not foster, love.
Jesus’ call to see our love for him lived out in our works, was a loving call for us to inspect the fruit of our works, for evidences of love. When love isn’t found in our works we’re not to pound out the result (loving works) to create the motivator (love for Jesus)- we’re to be drawn nearer to God, we’re to commune more with Christ.
…And so, my daily struggle isn’t to pound out the devotion and to ignore the world. Rather it is to seek Christ in a way full of desire and love. In a way that KNOWS the fruit of our time will be a deepened love.
‘Oh, that we would desire Jesus more.
Pastor John Weathersby
Thoughts of a Pastor 