Matthew 24:12

“And because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of the many will grow cold.”

Such will be the attitude of lawlessness that permeates the world and multiplies that it will even affect some among Jesus' followers, so that the love of many will grow cold. They will have the form of godliness without its power. But such godly love is the essence of being a disciple (Matthew 5:42; John 13:34), and its fading will therefore be an indication of either backsliding or of lack of genuineness. This has been the constant experience of His ‘congregation' through the centuries, and time and again He has had to stoop to restore those who are truly His, so that the flame is again fanned in their hearts. Only through prayer and the study of His word and constant witness, especially when we feel at our lowest, will our zeal be maintained. We must recognise that it is a dangerous thing to grow cold, for it can result in a frozen spiritual life and even spiritual hypothermia.