What Does It Mean to Love Christ?

What does it mean to love Christ? In Luke 14:26 Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." We know Jesus didn't literally mean to hate our parents, spouse, children, and siblings, because that would contradict other verses:

First Timothy 5:8 says, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." If we're told to care for our family members, how could Jesus tell us to hate them and mean that literally?

In Matthew 5:44 Jesus said, "Love your enemies." If Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He isn't going to tell us to hate our family members and actually mean it.

So how do we explain this? In Scripture, the word hate doesn't always mean hate. Sometimes it is used to create a contrast, or to elevate one thing above another. In this case the word hate means, "Love less." Jesus expects us to love him more than our family members.