Passionate Love and Hearing AuthorAuthorJohn Hall, Mission CentralDate publishedDateNov 2, 2021ThemeCategoriesPrayerDecoration image for quotationHe who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.I’m writing this as someone who wants to be passionately in love with Jesus. Our love for God is to be all-consuming and is a key to hearing well. But I think, if we’re to be honest with ourselves, many of us have disconnected passionate love for God and our emotions. In Revelation 2:4 Jesus accuses the church of Ephesus of forsaking “their first love”. This church does many of the right things; their “deeds” are good, but what about love? Our “first loves” are passionate and messy. They’re full of grand gestures and sappy overtures. Is it okay for our love for God to be like that? Yes! Consider the passion in these words, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God.” (Ps. 42:1) David’s songs overflow with passion for God. He says, in Psalm 63, “my soul thirst for you, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” His love for God spills over from emotion and ideas to a physical ache. The greatest command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Do you? Action:Hear the words of Jesus to Peter as if they were spoken to you: “Do you love me?” Answer Jesus. Has God spoken to you? Take a moment to reflect on what God wants you to do. Turn it into an “I will” action and share it with someone. For instance:Share with someone: “I struggle with loving Jesus… will you pray for me?” Encourage someone: “Jesus has helped me to love him more passionately and this is what it looks like for me.”