HAVE YOU LOST THAT LOVING FEELING?
Psalm 42:1,2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go meet with God?
Has the magic ever went out of your marriage or relationship with someone? It’s that spark, funny feeling in your stomach when you see them, and they are constantly on your mind. It is hard to put into words, but whatever it is it certainly makes your relationship special! That feeling may not be the same for you as it is for others, but you know what it is when it happens. I have counseled couples that were having problems even to the extent of wanting a divorce and they all have one thing in common, and that was they had lost their loving feeling. It is that feeling or spark that leads us into a deep intimate relationship. Although most don’t want to admit it, they all know when that loving feeling left. They know the exact time when they decided that it was no longer worth trying to keep things together. Oh, there may be a gradual loss of interest, closeness, but when you lose that loving feeling that is different. When it happens two thing can happen. The person can try to get back that loving feeling, or give up and look for a substitute. This doesn’t mean that the relationship ends up in divorce. They can still live together and even be civil to the point that others never know that there is a problem. In fact it can happen and the other person or mate never knows that loving feeling has gone. The relationship is just going through the motions, and sometimes successfully without that loving feeling. Husbands and wives can make love, and have children without that loving feeling. Sometimes people even get married, and never have that loving feeling. Sometimes it comes after the wedding! The thing is when it happens there is a conscious decision to get it back or let it go.
Our relationship with Jesus isn’t any different. We are after all the Bride of Christ! Do you remember what it was like for you when you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart? Chances are you can remember the exact time that it happened. Do you remember how your heart felt, and how you felt towards Jesus? If you do, I am sure you felt that loving feeling. There is nothing so wonderful as that loving feeling! Money can not by it, but the world can sure take it away. The world can take it away from your marriage, friendship and even your relationship with Jesus. You can still go to church, give your tithe, serve on committees, do and say all the right things, even be a very successful pastor and have lost that loving feeling with Jesus. Anyway you look at it the loving feeling is what makes our relationship with Jesus special and all worth while.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus had a very close relationship with Jesus. Mary was the one that was so much enthralled and in love with Jesus that she just wanted to sit at his feet. When her sister Martha complained to Jesus, he told Martha that Mary had chosen what was best and it would not be take from her. Yet when Mary and Martha called for Jesus to come heal Lazarus so he wouldn’t die, Jesus purposely waited for Lazarus to die. He did this so that he could do a greater miracle and bring him back to life, but his not coming hurt Mary terribly. Mary lost that loving feeling towards Jesus. The reason I know this is because when Jesus went to Lazarus’ tomb to raise him, Mary didn’t want to go at first. She couldn’t bear to look Jesus in the face after he had let her, Martha and most of all Lazarus down by letting him die. Later we see that they were reconciled after Lazarus’ was raised from the dead. You see it was a the broken heart that brought about the loss of that loving feeling. The greater the love, the greater the hurt when disappointment and betrayal comes to a loving relationship. Mary wasn’t the only one that this happened to. It happened to John the Baptist as we see in Luke 7:18-23. Jesus even responds to John’s question if Jesus was really the Messiah by saying, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” In other words, “Don’t stop loving me just because I don’t measure up to your expectations.” Maybe the same could be said of Judas.
Whether it is in a marriage relationship, friendship or a casual friendship, disappointment of unfulfilled expectations is possibly a major reason for losing that loving feeling. But ultimately the loss of that loving feeling comes because the person decides it is no longer worth trying to rekindle that love. This has happened to a multitude of Christians.
Is it possible to be a Christian, and not love Jesus? No! In fact Jesus came to earth to die on Calvary’s cruel cross, so we could not only the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we stop loving Jesus we are the same as a divorced couple. Where there is no love there is no intimacy, and no intimacy means no marriage. Do you think that Jesus’ Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit would want to have a loving relationship with someone that doesn’t love Jesus? I don’t think so! Loving Jesus as well as the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit is not an option if we want to go to heaven and have God love us!
So what do we do if we don’t love Jesus or love him as we should? Well, like any relationship, we need to spend time with him. We can’t expect to be married to our work, and expect perfect love from our wife. If we don’t include Jesus in our moment by moment of our day we can’t expect to love and enjoy him like we could have if we practiced his presence in our life. We need to make a conscious effort to think about his love, his goodness, all that he has done, is doing for us and will do for us. We need to consciously and even audibly tell him how much we love him all the time! It certainly seems that we can fall in love, but it is up to us to daily keep making that love stronger and more wonderful with each day. This is the case with our wives, children, friends and most of all with Jesus, the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Heavenly Father, and Holy Spirit, please help make our love for you to be all that you would want it to be. Please help us to always want an intimate relationship with you, and practice your presence every moment of our life. We love you Lord, and ask this in Jesus’ name.
