“Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love” (Eph. 6:24).
Lord Jesus, this week, like every week, our greatest privilege and main calling will be to love you. Not to be those who just admire, appreciate, or have a high regard for you. But to be undone with adoration like Asaph (Psalm 73:25-26), overwhelmed with affection like Paul (Philippians 3:7-11), and filled with awe like John (Revelation 1:12-18).
You don’t deserve first place in our lives—as though there’s a chart-able 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. There is no “chart” when it comes to you. In Paul’s words, we want to love you with an “undying love,” Jesus. It was your grace that first enabled us to love you, and it will be more of your grace that will take us deeper and longer into loving you with everything we have and are.
When we don’t make spending time with you and abiding in your love our highest priority, everything goes downhill from there. Good things supplant the “main thing.” Then harmless-but-time-consuming things supplant good things. We get more susceptible to fear, more easily offended, and more likely to think, say, and do things we regret.
What is our peace-giving hope, Jesus? We aren’t saved to the degree we love you, but to the degree our lives are hidden in you—which has been100% the very nanosecond we became yours. Though our momentary affection for you waxes and wanes, your love for us is absolute, unwavering, and inexhaustible. We will love you with an undying love because you love us with a love that included your death and guarantees our forever. Hallelujah, and So Very Amen.
