Should be supremely set upon God
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (Mark 12:30)
Should be set upon the commandments of God
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:8-10)
My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. (Psalm 119:20)
MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. (Psalm 119:97)
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103)
My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. (Psalm 119:167)
Should be set upon the house and worship of God
Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, (1 Chronicles 29:3)
Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth. (Psalm 26:8)
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)
<> How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. (Psalm 84:1-2)
Should be set upon the people of God
But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. (Psalm 16:3)
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; (Romans 12:10)
Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things. (2 Corinthians 7:13-16)
So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. (1 Thessalonians 2:8)
Should be set upon heavenly things
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)
Should be zealously engaged for God
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. (Psalm 69:9)
My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. (Psalm 119:139)
But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. (Galatians 4:18)
Christ claims the first place in
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37)
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
Enkindled by communion with Christ
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32)
Blessedness of making God the object of
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. (Psalm 91:14)
Should not grow cold
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: (Psalm 106:12-13)
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24:12)
Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. (Galatians 4:15)
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)
Of saints, supremely set on God
<> As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. (Psalm 73:25)
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (Psalm 119:10)
Of the wicked, not sincerely set on God
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. (Isaiah 58:1-2)
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. (Ezekiel 33:31-32)
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (Luke 8:13)
Carnal, should be mortified
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:27)
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Colossians 3:5)
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: (1 Thessalonians 4:5)
Carnal affections crucified in saints
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Galatians 5:24)
False teachers seek to captivate
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)
They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. (Galatians 4:17)
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (2 Timothy 3:6)
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (2 Peter 2:3)
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. (2 Peter 2:18)
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Revelation 2:14)
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2:20)
Of the wicked, are unnatural and perverted
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (Romans 1:31)
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (2 Timothy 3:3)
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. (2 Peter 2:10)