Followers

Tuesday, January 16, 2018


Falling in Love With The One Who 

Loves You the Most

By Babs Kincaid

       My heart’s desire is to fall deeply in love with the one who loves me the most. There is no doubt in my mind, that my Savior, Jesus is the one who loves me the most. Jesus himself said: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Jesus showed the full extent of his love for me by coming to earth, enduring ridicule, torture, character assassination, a painful death and overcoming it all by his resurrection life! Meditate on this compelling verse: “Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 Truly Jesus is the one who loves me the most!

The disciple John was captivated by the love of Jesus. I have always been fascinated with the disciple John who called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” John 13:23. John got it! His perception of Jesus was spot on! No wonder John was on Jesus’ inner circle with James and Peter.  When Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane to pray before he would be arrested: “He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, …Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” Matthew 26:37-38 Wow, Jesus was pouring out his heartfelt struggle to John, Peter, and James! That is so deep God the creator being so up close and personal with his creation! God’s word says it best: “The LORD… takes the upright into his confidence.” Proverbs 3:32 What an honor for John, Peter, and James! I want to be on that level of intimacy with God!


Photo by distinguished NC photographer Alan Ostmann

I want to be deeply captivated by the love of Jesus. Check it out in God’s love letters: “For the love of Christ constraineth us…” 2 Corinthians 5:14a According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the word constraineth in the Greek #4912 means: “to hold together, compels, preoccupy, and to be taken with.” I want to be preoccupied with deeply falling in love with Jesus. I want the Love of Christ to hold me together when I face life’s temptations and the storms of life! I want my commitment level for loving Jesus to skyrocket because I am so taken with Jesus love for me! So often when the world fights for my affection, the world wins! I can easily get preoccupied with entertainment like watching wholesome Hallmark movies, that quality time for God slips out of my hands! I can get so preoccupied with my problems that I forget I am a child of God. I am not here to watch life drift by, but to experience the love of Christ and share it! I want to be so taken with the love of Christ that I hunger and thirst for more. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

It is written concerning one of my favorite classical composers Johann Sebastian Bach: “Bach worked as if God were at his shoulder, directing the scene. When staring at a page he needed to fill with notes---to have a new composition ready for the Sunday service, he often initialed the blank manuscript with “J.J.,” which stood for Jesu Juva, meaning “Help me, Jesus.” After finishing a manuscript, he frequently initialed the last page with “S.D.G.,” denoting Soli Deo Gloria or “To God Alone the Glory.” From Spiritual Moments with Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh. I want to live that way as if God is on my shoulder guiding my steps. The truth is God is continually with me and I need to remind myself of this verse: “Nevertheless, I am continually with You; you hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward, receive me to glory.” Psalm 73:23-24 My greatest blessing in life is to travel with Jesus so I want to love Him more and more!