We cannot serve Jesus properly unless we know the depths of his love for us. As John writes, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, ESV). We absolutely must receive the Lord’s love into our hearts — and it’s vital that we love him back.
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
“I will take you as My people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:7).
God desires for you to know him! He wants to teach you to recognize his voice above all others. He revealed and manifested himself to his people, the children of Israel, over and over again — through great deliverances and miraculous signs and wonders — and yet they still did not know their God.
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Ask any Christian, “Do you love Jesus?” and he will answer, “Absolutely — yes!” But words alone will not stand in the holy light of God’s Word. Jesus said two distinct things will reveal your love for him and if these are not shown in your life, your love for Jesus is in word alone instead of “in deed and in truth.” Those two evidences are: (1) obedience to Jesus’ every command and (2) a manifestation of his presence in your life.
Gary Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of prioritizing a deep, intimate love for Jesus above all else in the Christian life.