A piece of advice to get closer to Jesus

Also include expressions of love for Jesus along with your requests and needs.

Jesus replied: "The truth is that you want to be with me because I have fed you, not because you believe in me." John 6:26 (TLB)

The older I get, the more well-known that many people fall into one of two categories: donors and buyers. We probably all know at least one person who seems interested only in what can come out of a relationship. In many ways, our culture promotes this self-centered behavior, especially with couples. If a party feels that the relationship no longer meets their needs, they are often encouraged to move forward and find a new partner.

Jesus felt the pain of being used after miraculously feeding a crowd of thousands with a few loaves and two fish. Some people followed him the next day. Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They looked for him because of the free food they had received, not because they were hungry for the truth. I can't imagine how sad Jesus must have felt for this answer, after working so hard to open people's eyes to the gift of forgiveness and salvation he offered. Despite knowing that soon he would give up his life to pay for their sins.

Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century lay brother in a French monastery, learned to make God's love his motivation for all his actions. He found joy even during the most trivial matters, "looking for him only and nothing else, not even his gifts" (from The practice of the presence of God). These words made me evaluate my attitudes: am I motivated to follow and serve Jesus for the blessings he can give me or do I love him simply for what he is? Like Brother Lawrence, I want to offer Jesus unrestricted love.

Evaluate your life of prayer to make sure that you also include expressions of love for Jesus along with your requests and needs.