Falling in Love with Jesus – His Word

“We need to fall in love with Jesus.”  A phrase or thought that passes many Christian conversations.  However, what does that mean?  Is it an emotion?  A verb?  Sometimes, Christ followers fall in love with the idea of Jesus, but not the real Jesus.  It is easy to fall in love with the idea of Jesus because He loves, values, forgives, and grants grace.  All of these characteristics are very true of Him.  However, what about the Jesus that asks to pick-up the cross daily, to live the sacrificial life, disciplines those He loves, and empowers His followers to stop making excuses and step forward in faith?  Sometimes we hear about this Jesus on Sunday mornings from the pulpit and we get excited.  A strong loving God is attractive.  The thought of it even pumps us up.  Then what happens?  The excitement of blood pumping fast through the veins wanes even before leaving the building.

Perhaps a better question is, do you know the real Jesus?  Not the one who you’ve heard about from the pulpit, not the one that others have told you about, and even to some degree not the one that you’ve experienced lest your experiences stemmed from self-seeking motives rather than God’s leading.  Have you encountered Him through the pages of His Living Word?  His Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12a).  It is not merely words on a page, it has the power to penetrate your life and very being (Hebrews4:12b -Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart).  In His Word, the real Jesus is found, not the one that we think we know, but the real Jesus.  Have you encountered Him?

Falling in love with Jesus looks a lot like falling in love with His Word.