There is a strange thing that happens when a man truly begins to love Jesus.

The world does not suddenly disappear. Bills still come due. Work still demands attention. People still disappoint you. Temptation still comes knocking. Life is still very difficult.

But the weight of it all begins to change. What once felt heavy starts to feel thin. What once felt urgent begins to feel small. What once felt irresistible starts losing its grip.

Not because the world became uglier, but because Christ became more beautiful.

Scripture does not command us to despise the world by sheer willpower; it does something far wiser. It lifts our eyes. It shows us Someone greater. And once your heart begins to see our perfectly resplendent Lord, King, and Savior Jesus Christ clearly, everything else quietly falls back into its proper place.

The Apostle Paul captures this with disarming honesty when he writes that he counts everything as loss “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). He does not say those things were meaningless. He says they were outweighed. Overshadowed. Dwarfed. That is how real love works.

When you love something supremely, lesser loves naturally dim.

Christ Is Not Merely Useful. He Is Beautiful.

Many Christians begin their walk with Jesus because they know they need forgiveness. That is good and right. The Gospel meets us at the rock bottom. Christ rescues sinners, justifies the ungodly, and cleanses the guilty.

But if that is the only thing we ever see in Him, our faith will always feel somewhat “off,” like it is thin and fragile.

The Bible presents Christ not only as Savior, but as the most beautiful reality in existence. He is not merely the answer to our problems. He is the treasure hidden in the field. He is the pearl of great price. He is the One of whom the psalmist says, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25).

That is not forced piety. That is a heart that has been captured by an awesome Lord!

Jesus is absolutely beautiful in His holiness. He is Beautiful in His authority. Beautiful in His gentleness toward sinners and His firmness toward hypocrisy. Beautiful in His power to still storms and His willingness to wash feet. Beautiful in His silence before false accusations and His roar of victory at the resurrection.

The more clearly you see Him, the more everything else starts to look like what it really is: temporary and fading, and the increasing truth that we are just passing through this world.

Love Reorders the Heart

We often talk about “fighting sin” as if the Christian life is primarily about white-knuckle resistance. Yes, there is definitely a struggle with the old flesh, make no mistake about it. But Scripture speaks of something to aid in our walk that makes our battles different. It tells us to set our minds on things above. To behold the glory of the Lord. To fix our eyes on Jesus. Why?

Because what captures your love will command your obedience.

Sin loses its appeal not when rules get stricter, but when Christ gets sweeter. The world loses its shine not when you scold yourself enough, but when you see something brighter and more worthy of our affections.

This is why legalism always fails in the long run. It tries to make the world small without making Christ big. It tries to starve desire rather than redirect it.

The Gospel does the opposite. It fills the heart with something better.

When a man genuinely loves Christ, obedience stops feeling like loss. Sacrifice stops feeling like deprivation. Even suffering takes on a whole different meaning. The world does not vanish, but it no longer rules.

John says it plainly: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

One thing lasts. Everything else is on a timer.

The Fading Power of the World

The world shouts. Christ speaks.

The world promises immediacy. Christ promises eternity.

The world offers temporary applause. Christ offers a far more glorious and lasting encouragement: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23)

When your heart is anchored to this world, you are always anxious. Always worrying. Always grasping. Always defending your little kingdom. But when your heart is anchored to Christ, you are strangely free. You can enjoy good things without worshiping them. You can lose things without collapsing. You can face death without terror.

That kind of freedom only comes from loving Someone who cannot be taken from you.

Jesus Himself warned us that treasures on earth rust, rot, and disappear. He was not trying to make us miserable. He was trying to make us wise. He was pointing us to a treasure that does not fade, cannot be stolen, and will never disappoint.

The more your affection is set on Christ, the less the world can manipulate you. Fear loses leverage. Temptation loses urgency. Approval loses authority.

Not because you became stronger, but because you became satisfied in the true One we were designed to be satisfied in.

Growing in Love for Christ

Loving Christ is not a mystical feeling reserved for a few emotional saints, theologians, or preachers. It is for everyone, even the most “run of the mill” Christian out there. Love for Him grows the same way love always grows.

It grows by attention, time, honesty, and by presence.

You grow in love for Christ by sitting under His Word. By seeing Him there. By praying with openness rather than performance. By confessing sin instead of hiding it. By remembering what He saved you from. By remembering what He saved you for.

The Holy Spirit does not manufacture affection out of thin air. He opens our eyes to what is already there. And what is there is glory!

Paul says that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Notice the order. Beholding comes first. Transformation follows.

The End That Makes Sense of Everything

One day, every false glow will go dark. What was tempting and shiny will become flat and dull. Every cheap promise will be exposed. Every idol will be silent. And Christ will still be standing, with absolute perfection, beauty, and loveliness.

On that day, no one will regret having loved Him too much. No one will wish they had chased the world harder. No one will look back and say obedience was a waste.

The beauty of Christ will not fade. His worth will not diminish. His kingdom will not shake.

The more we love Him now, the more clearly we begin living in light of that day.

And the world, loud as it may seem, grows strangely dim.

Not because it was defeated by force, but because it was eclipsed by glory.

Christ is worthy of our worship!