And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:12
Maintaining love is just like maintaining fire. You maintain fire by stoking it (that is feeding with the right combustible materials and stirring it) and avoiding those things that can quench it. You maintain your love for God by stoking; that is maintaining fellowship with God and the bethren. You fellowship with God through communication; that is studying the word, prayer, supplication, thanksgiving and praise — communication is the soul of all relationships, and when that is in place, the love gets stronger and stronger.
Stoking is not only feeding the fire, it includes stirring it, and that is service to God. You stir the love by sacrificing yourself to his service, accepting it as necessity. And you will find out that the day you are not in your duty to God, you won’t be comfortable. As you get engaged in active service for God, you stir your love to continue to burn.
But watch out, feeling after God is not necessarily loving God. Feelings may come and go. Loving God is an act of will. When you set your will to love God and you go about it the feeling may come. You may not feel it but God feels the love. God is spirit, so emotions are not really a factor in the equation of your love for God. A spirit can be in operation without you feeling it. Feeling good is not feeling God, and not feeling God is not losing God. That Jacob didn’t know that where he slept was the gate of heaven, did not stop the operations going on there (Gen 28:10-17). You can be in despair yet God is with you. What God calls love towards him is an act of will not an outburst of emotions. You can be feeling good, yet God is angry with what you are doing. David was feeling good bringing the ark on a new cart, not knowing God was not pleased (2Sam 6:1-7). What God calls love is finding his will and doing it, keeping his commandments and serving him all with a right motive. Whenever we slack in doing God’s will, we slack in love for God.
Royal Flock of Christ Church 