'I Love Jesus'

February 18, 2025 ∙ by rbacchus ∙ in Pennsylvania Conference, Editorials

Editorial by Gary Gibbs

Shortly after becoming a Christian, I read Revelation 2:1–7 where Jesus describes believers who lose their first love for Him and are lost. A powerful conviction seized me, and I couldn’t imagine a more awful fate. I dropped to my knees, praying for God to increase my love for Him!

The apostle Paul’s prayer for us reveals that we can attain nothing greater as Christians than to be “rooted and grounded in love,” and to “comprehend” and “know the love of Christ.” God wants nothing more than for us to love Him as fully as He loves us. This is why He created humans in the first place—to have a loving relationship. It is why He died on the cross. And it is precisely why He is coming back to take us to heaven. It is all about Him showering us with love and longing for our love in return!

Love for Jesus is more than an intellectual belief in Him or His truth. This love must be focused on Him as a person and not merely as a concept. The disciples loved Jesus—the God Man. What He did and taught inspired this love, leading them to love Jesus Himself.

How can you love Jesus more? Start by making Paul’s prayer your own for the next 30 days or more. Get on your knees with the open Bible before you. Read this text to God aloud and ask Him to make it your experience. Say out loud, “I love Jesus,” and then speak these three words to someone today. (You can start right now after reading this.)

Then, like all relational love, schedule a daily time with Jesus. Read His Word for what it tells you about Jesus. Keep a journal of what you discover. Incorporate what you write in your journal into your conversations with God, telling Him how you feel about what He is showing you. And tell others about what you are learning. As you do this, your love for Jesus will grow, and the apostle Paul’s prayer will be answered.

*This editorial by Gary Gibbs, president of the Pennsylvania Conference, was published in the Pennsylvania Conference devotional, Back to the Altar.

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