1 John 3:1 - Part Two

I've been thinking about the prayer from my last post.  In it I asked the Lord to grow my love for Him, and I asked it on behalf of you, my readers too.  Can our love actually grow, is what I am wondering?  Did I choose the right wording?  The Bible talks about different kinds of love.  There is the love of self-sacrifice, of putting others before ourselves.  This is the love Jesus had for us in going to the cross.  This is the love genuine believers will have for the Lord and others.  There is also the love of affection.  I do have this for the Lord.  I have an emotional love for Him, because of what He has done for me, what He is doing for me, and because I know He is returning for me.  This is the type of love that I think grows, as our knowledge of the Lord grows.  The sacrificial love however, is either there or it isn't.  It is there when we choose to be obedient to His commands.  It is not there when we choose to please ourselves.  Love, you before me...  Being obedient is putting Christ ahead of ourselves.

Lord, may we grow in our affection towards You, as we grow in grace and knowledge of You, and may our obedience to You become more and more consistent, matching up more and more with our perfect position in which You have so graciously and lovingly placed us.

I love you, Lord.  Thank you for loving me.