'Lover of Christ'

In our homeschooling adventure this week, we studied Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090-1153. He was known as 'Lover of Christ.' I wouldn't mind going by that name, would you?

"He who is filled with the love of God," he said, "is easily moved by everything in the Word.."
Let us be teachable, and always ready to read and respond to God's word.


"We must root out our personal will," Bernard told them, "the will that is purely our own, that which is not in tune with the will of God." ---Bernard of Clairvaux

Often, we need to ask God to change our hearts. Change our thoughts. Change our will. And to conform it to His. As we grow and become more spiritually mature, our hearts change. Our minds change. We are transformed. We become more like Jesus. And God answers our prayer when we pray, "not my will, but yours, be done." He takes away our 'old' will, our worldly, earthly, fleshly will; and he gives us his glorious, new, holy and good, pure will.

Bernard is remembered as a lover of Christ. "My God, my love," he often prayed, "how You love me!"

Perhaps his favorite verse in the Bible was Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but my God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

He wrote hymns, such as "Jesus Thou Joy of Loving Hearts," and "O Sacred Head Now Wounded."

Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss which earth imparts
We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Where are we trying to fill up? In order to give and pour into others' lives, we have to be filled with something. Are we coming often to God's word, to be renewed and restored and refilled? We need the word, our food. When we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are parched when we have not been in the word of God.
To have a holy life, we have to have holy habits. Scripture is a beautiful place to start. It points us to God. It reveals Him. It is his gift of love to us. Are we missing it? Are we lonely, wishing for the perfect friend? He is so close. And He has shared His heart. All we have to do is sit down and ponder His word. He will do the rest!