Set your affections upon Jesus Christ

Yesterday, we considered what it meant to set our affections upon Jesus Christ. I shared this recently with a woman who looked at me quizzically, "What does that mean, to set my affections upon Jesus Christ?" I tried various descriptions but none were really getting my point across. Then it occurred to me. I said, "Let's put it in a framework that I can, and perhaps you can identify with. Food. Imagine that I invited you out for a juicy steak dinner for Friday night. My guess is you would think about that steak on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Come Thursday, you would probably think about our night out a couple of times during the day with a little excitement about that steak. By Friday, chances are you would begin to anticipate our going out to have that steak and really look forward to it." In a sense, you have set your affections upon that meal. You look forward to it. You anticipate it. You spend time thinking about it. Forgive my somewhat primitive illustration - but you know what? She understood what I meant when I said, "we need to set our affections upon Jesus Christ."
I was recently reading in a devotional by A.J. Russell, God Calling. Since my initial reading of this text, I have read, and reread this selection several times. It challenged my heart and hope it encourages yours. It is written as if Christ Himself is speaking to us.
"...Think of the multitudes, who thronged Me, when I was on earth, all eager for something. Eager to be healed, or taught, or fed.
Think as I supplied their many wants, and granted their manifold requests, what it meant to Me, to find amid the crowd, some one or two, who followed Me just to be near Me, just to dwell in my Presence. How some longing of the Eternal Hart was satisfied thereby.
Comfort Me, awhile by letting Me know that you would seek Me just to dwell in My presence, to be near Me, not even for teaching, not for material gain, not even for a message-but for Me. The longing of the human heart to be loved for itself is a something caught from the Great Divine Heart." (February 6, Pg. 38-39)
Set your affections upon Jesus Christ, simply because of who He is. Come and tarry a while just to spend time in His presence. Don't ask for anything, just sit a spell with Him and delight to be in His presence.