Day #171 - Simple Love and Devotion
The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:2-4 NIV
Do you remember a time you were really in love?
Now maybe it was love or as some call it infatuation, but do you remember it? Things are simple when you are first in love with someone. You like being together. You do what pleases the other. When I was first in love with Grace everything was great as long as we were together. I liked talking to her on the phone. I like walking with her. It didn’t really matter what we did, I just liked the simple things.
Paul has some strong words for the church at Corinth in this passage. He is jealous over them. He doesn’t want them turning away from Christ. He wanted them to walk in the purity of a relationship with Jesus. But he warned them that Satan might be able to deceive them as he deceived Eve. And how would that be? That they would be led away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (or as some translations say “corrupted from the simplicity in Christ”).
Our walk with Jesus in His presence ought to be about simple devotion to Him. What pleases Him? What keeps your heart pure before Christ? What keeps you faithful to who He is? Paul warns us that we could be in danger of having a different Jesus, a different gospel or a different spirit. We need to be discerning about things that could corrupt us from this true and simple lover relationship with Jesus.
There are false gospels, false christs, and false spirits at work to deceive us and to lead us astray from the simple love and devotion in which we are called to live. What is better than a love relationship with Jesus? Watch out for spirits that seduce you away from a desire to know and love Jesus more. Guard your simple ways of first love for the Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, I am a part of Your bride, promised to You. Let me live in simple love and devotion. I just want to bless and please Your heart for all that You have done for me. Keep me from false experiences and spirits that would try and deceive me from knowing and loving you more. You are my everything. Let me love grow deeper and stay pure. In Your holy name, amen.
I think of the church at Ephesus, and how tenderly Jesus called them back to their their first love: Him. He appreciated and complemented them on their work to test the false teachers. But their hearts became distant to Him. Their works, while admirable, were lacking, because their hearts were distant. They went from infatuated lovers to dutiful wives: from Marys to Marthas. When you are infatuated with your lover, you don’t care how good or bad she cooks, or cleans. In fact, it’s kinda cute when she’s bad at it. ;-)
Excellent, thank you for this message. We must guard against deceiving spirits in the church. Christ does not want His bride polluted; He warns us and expects us to be vigilant and ready for His return. We must keep it simple: It's all about Jesus, in love, in faith, in devotion, in pure joy - but discernment is so important.