"WHEN MY LOVE TO CHRIST GROWS WEAK"

 

“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.' 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ 63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’ 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.”’ 

Luke 22:39-65

The song “When My Love to Christ Grows Weak” reminds us of what our Lord and Savior had to endure and suffer before He was hung on that cross of Calvary. He prayed fervently when He was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before they tortured Him and crucified Him. When our love grows weak for Christ, we must think of Gethsemane, for it reminds us of how He first loved us. 

 "We love because he first loved us"  (1 John 4:19).

We must have a deeper faith.  

We must increase our faith to remind us of Jesus’ sufferings and death in Gethsemane and to sustain us when we are weak (Luke 17:5) 

Jesus wept and prayed for us in Gethsemane.  

His soul was exceedingly sorrowful even to death.

"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I go over there and pray.' 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled"'  (Matthew 26:36-38). 

He knelt there to pray as a “suffering, friendless One.” 

He felt sorrowful and troubled while He watched His disciples sleep, whom He took to watch with Him.

"And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.' 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, 'So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'" (Matthew 26:39-41). 

And though He was troubled and in anguish, He still prayed and wept for us because He first loved us.

"Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.' 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again"'  (Matt. 26:42-44).

When our love grows weak for Christ, we must seek for deeper faith by thinking of Calvary. 

We must love one another because He first loved us and gave Himself to die on Calvary.

"If anyone says, 'I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother'" (1 Jn. 4:20-21). 

When our love grows weak for one another, we must think of Calvary to strengthen our faith and give glory to God.

"No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised"  (Rom. 4:20-21). 

It was on Calvary that our Lord and Savior was crucified, shedding His blood for the remission of everyone’s sins.

"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left"  (Luke 23:33). 

At Calvary, our Lord was mocked, scoffed, blasphemed, beaten.  At Calvary, He suffered in agony on a bitter tree.

"And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'  And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!' 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!' 38 There was also an inscription over him, 'This is the King of the Jews'"  (Lk. 23:34-38). 

Though our Lord and Savior was in deep anguish, we can still see how deep was His faith and His love, as He spoke to one of the criminals that hung next to Him.

"One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!' 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' 42 And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' 43 And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise'"  (Lk. 23:39-43). 

We can clearly see His triumphant love as He died for the sins of this world of darkness.

"It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!' And having said this he breathed his last'" (Lk. 23:44-46). 

Therefore, since Jesus, our Lord, suffered in Gethsemane and died on Calvary, we must reflect on what He did for us by denying ourselves, dying to self, and bearing our own cross in full sacrifice.

"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels'" (Lk. 9:23-26). 

When our love for Christ grows weak, we must reflect on His sacrifice because that helps us be more devoted and faithful to Him with deeper faith that will overcome this world of darkness in triumphant victory.

I hope the words of “When My Love For Christ Grows Weak” move you deeply as you meditate on what Jesus did for us in Gethsemane and Calvary.

When my love for Christ grows weak,

When for deeper faith I seek,

Then in thought I go to thee, 

Garden of Gethsemane.

There I walk amid the shades,

While the lingering twilight fades,

See that suffering, friendless One,

Weeping, praying there alone.

When my love for man grows weak,

When for stronger faith I seek,

Hill of Calvary, I go 

To thy scenes of fear and woe.

There behold His agony,

Suffered on the bitter tree;

See His anguish, see His faith,

Love triumphant still in death.

Then to life I turn again,

Learning all the worth of pain,

Learning all the might that lies

In a full self-sacrifice.

Luci