Superficial Love – Level 1: The Body

Although he has accepted the Lord, a Christian can remain superficial. Jesus explains this in His parable in Matthew 13:5-6. The root of his love is limited only to the first two levels. Jesus compares it to a seed fallen:

“ …on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil; but when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away.“

Jesus explains this in verse 20-21: “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.”

Superficial Christians are people who come to church to use God and not to serve Him. They are always on the lookout for what God can bring them. Their prayers always boil down to endless “give me”: “Give me marriage, give me travel, give me money…”.

Superficial Love – Level 2: The Soul

Superficial Christians, levels 1 and 2, will not be able to stand firm until the return of Jesus because their walk with the Lord depends on their feelings or what God gives them. The day God does not respond as they wish, they will be quick to regress because their love in Christ is not deeply rooted. Generally, those who fast and pray just for work, promotion, healing, or marriage have a very high probability of returning to the world to find these things if God delays in answering them. And it is very likely that God will delay in answering.

If a woman leaves her husband because he lost his job, everyone will say she never loved him. Her love will be labeled as superficial. Similarly, if a man abandons his wife because her breasts sagged with age, it means his love was superficial. Have you noticed that you cannot develop a friendship with someone who, every time they see you, sees an opportunity to take advantage of you or receive something from you?

It’s the same with God. To allow you to enter into His depths, He must feel that you love Him, not for what He has or can do, but for who He is. Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:15: “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.“

Let me ask you a question: “Have you ever fasted just to be in God’s presence, just to tell Him how much you love Him, without asking for anything?” Or have you ever taken three days off to tell Jesus how good, beautiful, and faithful He is? If your answer is no, then know that you are doing to God what you would not want done to you. Your love is superficial!

Superficial love is self-interested.

The world needs to see the glory of God, but it is hidden, deeply buried because you don’t put a treasure on the surface. We all tend to hide what is precious to us and only reveal it to trusted individuals. This truth, God also applies to you. God has hidden the treasure of your life. You don’t really know yourself. You don’t really know who you are, where you are going, and what God has given you.

Superficial Love – Level 3: The Spirit

Since He is the one who hid your treasure long before your birth, He is the only one who can reveal it to you. If your love is deep, you will discover this treasure and you will be able to enter into your destiny. You will be like the tree in Psalms 1:3: “…planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.“

• It is motivated by the Spirit, by a decision and a vision

The deep Christian does not stop at the obstacles expressed by the body and/or the soul. He follows and serves God, whether he feels like it or not. It is this love that allows discerning the voice of God. This is of paramount importance to go deeper with God. How to unfold the depth of love?

This text is an excerpt from the book “UNSATISFIED? Enter the dimension of the Bride of Christ” written by Mohammed SANOGO.

We invite you to read the following article “How to focus your love on Christ?“