Has your love for God grown cold like a bowl of initially hot soup that was left forgotten on the dining table for one whole day?
I hope it hasn't, but the truth is that many of us who believe in Christ don't love Him as much as we should. Many of us have grown cold.
Our love for God always gets tested by the many things we face in our lives. Like the bowl of soup that I mentioned earlier, we at times forget to take notice of the condition of our hearts towards our Father. Some of us forget to nourish our love for Him, so that it stays hot and fresh.
The Lord Jesus said that in the last days, "the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12). This will not happen in just the blink of an eye. It will be like that bowl of soup – gradually, slowly cooling down.
Worried if your love for Christ has grown cold? Here are some signs you should watch out for.
1. Submitting to Any Authority Even If It Goes Against Christ
Jesus did say that before the love of many grows cold, "...many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (see Matthew 24:5).
Those who blindly follow anybody, even those who portray themselves as Christians, might fall away.
The Bible says that we should always watch and pray against temptation (Matthew 26:41), keep an eye out for those who turn people away from Christ (Romans 16:17), that we shouldn't believe everything we hear and see, but test it if it is according to God's Word (1 John 4:1-3).
We should be like the Bereans who did not simply take Paul's word, but eagerly searched God's Word to confirm what he said. (see Acts 17:11)
2. A Decaying Moral System
Friend, if your view of sin has diminished, and your fear of the Lord gone, you should be careful. The Lord Jesus said that "because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
What is your stand on today's moral issues? Do you still fear God as the righteous and holy Judge? (see Hebrews 10:31)
Sin is sin no matter how much we try to sugarcoat it. Murder is killing, borrowing without asking for permission is stealing, and giving false testimonies to avoid hurting someone is lying. If we are so comfortable with living a double life, we should do our best to repent and return to the Lord!
3. Choosing Others Before Christ
Jesus said "many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other" (Matthew 24:10). This one is very obvious: Do you choose to follow Christ and honour Him in your personal private times, as well as your public life?
What makes up your thought life? What do you usually choose to do when bored? How do you handle your time and money? How do you treat yourself, your spouse, your family, your friends?
If you can honestly say that you honour Christ in all of that, praise the Lord. But if not, do your best to do so.
