In times of severe testing, what keeps you persevering for the faith? When life hands you one setback after another, how do you maintain hope? The obvious answer for believers is always, “Jesus”. But what about Jesus compels you to get knocked down over and over, then get up tomorrow to do it all again? What drives your desire to suffer in this life?
There are a lot of very good answers to this question: “He commands us to obey Him” (John 14:15). “We know our calling is to suffer” (1 Peter 2:20-21). “A great reward awaits those who hold fast until the end” (Revelation 2:10). These are all true and good reasons to carry on. But none of these reasons will be strong enough to carry you when the pressure becomes extreme. The only thing that will sustain you in the toughest of times is your love of Christ.
Notice I didn’t say His love for you. His love for you is a given, and we know that nothing in heaven or on earth can ever separate us from Christ’s love for us (Romans 8:38-39). His love is unconditional and unchanging (Lamentations 3:22-23; James 1:17). This is a great comfort and confidence for us in good times and bad, but knowledge of His love for us can get crowded out when we become overwhelmed with the loss of a career, a relationship that is falling apart, and a never ending pile of unpaid bills. Our preoccupation with our circumstances can overshadow what we know to be true about God. That is why your love of Christ must be so great that it is the reason you move and breathe.
I also did not say the only thing that will sustain you is your love for Christ. There’s a delicate line between your love for Christ and your love of Christ. We love Him for everything He has done for us (Psalm 116:1-2). We love Him because He died for us and made a way for our salvation (1 John 4:10). His provision each day gives us endless reasons to have a love for Him (Philippians 4:19). Love for someone is not of the same depth as love of someone. When we have a genuine affection for someone, it’s not because of anything they do, but because of who they are. It’s the love of who Jesus is that will cause us to persevere no matter the cost (Philippians 3:8).
One way to measure your love of Christ is by how often your mind is consumed with His beauty, majesty, and glory. When you love someone, they dominate your thoughts. You can’t get enough of that person and want to be with them every moment of your life. If our love of Christ is not at that level, we may not have what it takes to stand firm in our faith (Matthew 10:37-39). If you don’t think your love of Christ is as great as it should be, ask Him to help you love Him more. Jesus says anything we ask for that aligns with His will is ours before we even ask (John 14:13-14; Matthew 6:7-8). There is no question that loving the Lord is part of His will. It’s why He created you in the first place (Isaiah 43:6-7)! The greatest commandment of all is to the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:28-29). How great is your love of Christ?