4. Make appointments with Jesus.
We make appointments for everything in life: paying bills, attending children’s sports, going to work, school or church, mealtimes and vacations.
Regrettably, when I was a very young pastor I let busyness in doing good things for people squeeze private time with Jesus out of my schedule. Fortunately, the Lord reprimanded me and set me on a new path of life.
I
started making appointments to spend private time with Jesus in what is normally called prayer, but which I call communion. If Jesus is number one with us we must make time in our schedule for being with him. Worship, praise, thanksgiving, adoration, magnification of Jesus heightens our love for him as his presence visits us. Think about it for a moment. What’s the best time of your day that you can set aside five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes to be with Jesus in private communion and fellowship? Choose that time and make that time the most important appointment of your day.
Thank goodness that ever since I received Jesus at age 17 regular reading of the Bible became part of my life. We must read his Word consistently, so be disciplined enough to set aside some time for reading the Word of God, the wonderful Scriptures!
5. Be sensitive to his reprimands and your conscience.
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)
Love for Jesus makes us sensitive and appreciative of the reprimands that come from his Spirit, his people and his Word. How many times the Lord has used his Word to convict me of entertaining evil desires that are forbidden by his Word. Not only that, but he always accompanies his reprimands with the power to conquer our evil desires or unchristlike feelings. As we admit our guilt he floods us with a brand new love for Jesus that’s better than anything we’ve known before!
God planted a conscience in us. This conscience is like the table of stone that God wrote the ten commandments on. These commandments are a part of every human’s nature. We instinctively know that idol worship, sexual immorality, theft, dishonoring parents and so forth are wrong. As we yield to the conscience that convicts us of wrongdoing, admit our wrongdoing and ask God’s forgiveness, we retain a clear conscience. If we violate our conscience, then it becomes hardened against the Lord and his will and our love for Jesus shrinks.
Love for Jesus adds unbelievable and immeasurable joy to life. Therefore, we appreciate a Father in heaven who loves us enough to reprimand us and install a conscience in us designed to help us please him. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5:9 contains a phrase that I memorized so it could serve as motivation for loving the Lord: “We make it our goal to please him.”
6. Fellowship with people who love Jesus. 
Scripture points out that each person who loves Jesus belongs to Jesus’ earthly body. The Body of Christ is composed of everyone who recognizes him as their master and loves him supremely.
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
“Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” (1 Corinthians 12:14)
“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)
Amputated members of our bodies cannot survive. Therefore, we recognize that fellowshipping with people who love Jesus isn’t a luxury, but an essential to maintaining our love for the Lord. We need each other!
Be greatly encouraged,
Pastor James Fields
