Oh How We Love Jesus
Devotions with Pastor Jason Lim

A woman was so depressed in her Christian walk that she finally approached her pastor, saying, "Pastor, I've decided I want to quit Christianity altogether. Please remove my name from membership." The Pastor was shocked. But he slowly took out a piece of paper, scribbled some words, and said to her, "I'm sorry to hear that, but if you could just sign your name here, you can leave this church immediately." 

When she opened the piece of paper, she read the words, "I hereby confess that I no longer love Jesus Christ." Tears rolled down her cheeks because she could not sign it. No matter how discouraged and beaten-down she was, she knew deep down that she loved Jesus. 

The true follower of Jesus Christ loves God. You may ask, "How can this be possible? How can anyone love God? Didn't Paul say in Romans 8:7 that our carnal mind is enmity against God? Doesn't Isaiah 53:6 say that we are all like sheep gone astray, that we have gone, everyone, to his own way? How can we reconcile with Romans 3:11 that says that there is none who seeks after God?"

So can we really love God? The answer is simple: Those who love God are those who are given a new heart. In Bible terms, they are born again. They are a new creation in Christ. Salvation is not just about a new status before God. Salvation is having a new heart for God! This transformation is the gift of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. The believer now not only has a new heart that loves God but is also able to appreciate God's love in the gospel. This love proves genuine as the believer grows in love and adoration for God- "we love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Oh, how I love Jesus! It is all His work. It is all His glory.