PAUL’S LOVE FOR CHRIST

The apostle Paul was not driven by ambition, pride, or recognition. He was driven by love for Jesus Christ. From the moment the light of the risen Lord shone on the Damascus road, Paul’s life became one long act of devotion (Acts 9:3–6). The man who once hunted believers became the one who could not stop speaking of Christ. He was not motivated by duty but by delight. The glory of Jesus changed everything about him. What once mattered now seemed worthless compared to knowing the Lord (Philippians 3:8). His conversion was not just a change of direction. It was a transformation of affection.

Paul’s heart burned with a singular passion: to know Christ and to make Him known. He did not see ministry as a career but as communion with the living Savior. He said that to live was Christ and to die was gain (Philippians 1:21). His entire existence was centered around the person of Jesus. Every city he entered, every letter he wrote, every sermon he preached was soaked with that same theme. He could endure chains, ridicule, and hardship because he was captured by a greater love. The same Christ who met him in mercy now moved in him with power (Galatians 2:20).

Paul’s letters show that love for Jesus is not measured by feelings but by faithfulness. His devotion did not fade in the face of pain. Shipwrecks, imprisonments, betrayals, and hunger could not turn him away (2 Corinthians 11:24–28). He had found something worth suffering for. Love made him strong. Grace made him steadfast. He did not complain about his chains. He rejoiced that they advanced the gospel (Philippians 1:12–14). Paul knew that to walk with Jesus was to share in His sufferings and also in His resurrection life (Romans 8:17).

The secret to Paul’s power was not intellect or training, though he had both. It was intimacy with Jesus. He prayed to know the Lord in deeper ways, not only in glory but in weakness and surrender (Philippians 3:10). His prayers were not filled with self-seeking requests. They overflowed with longing for others to see Christ more clearly and love Him more dearly. To Paul, theology was not a subject to be studied but a song to be sung. Every truth he taught found its melody in the grace of the Savior.

Paul’s love for Christ was also practical. It showed in how he loved the churches. He prayed for them constantly. He carried their burdens as though they were his own children (2 Corinthians 11:28–29). His letters were not cold instruction but warm encouragement. He urged believers to imitate him only as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). The apostle’s leadership flowed from love, not authority. He saw himself not as a master but as a servant. The same humility that led Jesus to wash feet had washed over Paul’s heart.

Even in correction, Paul’s words were guided by compassion. He wept over sin. He pleaded with believers to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh (Galatians 5:16). He pointed them always back to the cross. The cross was his compass. It kept him steady when others turned aside. It reminded him that his strength was not in his flesh but in Christ alone (2 Corinthians 12:9). Love made him gentle. Truth made him firm. Together they shaped a man who reflected the Savior he adored.

As Paul neared the end of his journey, his love had only deepened. He looked back not with regret but with gratitude. He could say with quiet confidence that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). His heart was set on the Lord who had saved him, the crown of righteousness awaiting him, and the joy of being with Christ forever (2 Timothy 4:8). Death was not a loss to Paul. It was the fulfillment of the longing that had guided his life—to be with Jesus.

Paul’s story reminds every believer that true greatness in the kingdom is measured by love for Christ. Knowledge fades. Strength fails. Titles mean nothing. But love endures forever (1 Corinthians 13:8). To love Jesus as Paul did is to live with eternity in your eyes and grace in your heart. It is to count every gain as loss except for Him. The world may not understand such devotion, but heaven does. For love like that still burns with the same fire that began on the Damascus road—a fire that no darkness can ever put out.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway