Consumed with Christ
The Greek word for hate means "to love less by comparison." Jesus is
calling us to have a love for Him that is so all-inclusive, fervent and
absolute that all our earthly affections cannot come close. If we had that
red-hot, all-consuming, intense and joyous love for Christ, we would not
need outlines, diagrams and instructions telling us how to pray; we would
pray because our
hearts would be on fire with love for Him. We would not grow bored
trying to fill up an hour praying ambiguously for needs all over the world;
Christ would be the object of our prayers, and our prayer time would be
precious. We would spend hours behind closed doors, expressing the overflowing
admiration and sweet love that flood our hearts for Him. Reading His
Word would never be a burden; we wouldn't need formulas on how to finish
the Bible in a year.
If we loved Jesus passionately, we would be drawn magnetically to His
Word to learn more about Him. And we would not become bogged down with
endless genealogies and end-time speculations. We would want only to know
Him better-to see more of His beauty and glory so that we could become
more like Him. Think about it: Do we know what it is like to come into
His sweet presence and ask nothing? To reach out to Him only because
we are grateful that He loves us so completely? We have become selfish
and self-centered in our prayers: "GIVE US, MEET US, HELP US, BLESS US,
USE US, PROTECT US" All this may be scriptural, but the focus remains on
us. We go to His Word for answers to our problems, for guidance and
comfort, and this also is right and commendable. But where is the love-motivated
soul who searches the Scriptures diligently, who wants only to discover
more and more about his beloved Lord?
Hungry For More Of Jesus by David Wilkerson