There’s one more thing that happens as you move toward spiritual maturity. You will develop a real personal love for Jesus Christ. This is not an emotional feeling, it’s a lot more. It’s really developing a new way of thinking. Look what Peter says:

1 Peter 1:8

8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

How do you love someone you can’t see? You learn how they THINK. How do you learn how Jesus Christ thinks?

1 Corinthians 2:16

16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind (or thinking) of Christ.

As believers living now, we have available to us the complete mind of Jesus Christ. It is the Word of God.

John 1:1, 14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

…

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

As you learn more and more from the Word of God about how Jesus thinks, you will naturally come to love Him more and more. The more you love Him, the more your thinking becomes like His thinking. You start making all your decisions based on what you know about the Bible. WWJD becomes the norm for your decision making.

This is actually a command:

1 Peter 3:15

15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

That is our same word HAGIOS, meaning to set aside as holy. It has the meaning of placing something in the position of first importance. When you put Jesus Christ as the most important thing, you will naturally develop this love for Him. And this love of Christ will be the main motivator in your life.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

14 For the love of Christ controls (or motivates) us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.