You've Lost Your First Love | Revelation 2

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

If I go through the motions of serving Jesus without being motivated by my love for him, it means nothing. Even if I die a martyr’s death or give every penny in my bank account to the poor – without love, I gain nothing.[1] God is love.[2] Love is his priority. It’s not always mine. Love should be what my relationship with Jesus is all about. He tells the Ephesians, 

“Remember the height from which you have fallen!
Repent and do the things you did at first.”[3]

If I’ve fallen out of love, what’s the cure? Remember. Remember why I fell in love with him in the first place. And repent, turn around and go back, back to the early days of falling in love. I couldn’t wait to see my beloved. I always wanted to be with him. He was the most important part of my life. I could survive without food or shelter, but not without his love. 

Jesus is the lover of my soul. How passionate is my love? Remember. Remember when I first heard of his love and grace, first understood the cross, first fell in love with Jesus. I thought of him constantly. Everywhere I went, I felt him holding my hand. I couldn’t pray enough, read his Word enough, or be in church enough. I couldn’t stop talking about him. Nothing else mattered. Remember. Repent. Go back.

A Real Life in Christ is more than going through the motions. Life without love means nothing.

Lord, I get so busy doing things for you that I stop spending time with you. My heart grows cold. Shift my focus. Help me to remember and repent. May I never forsake you, my first love.

Taking it further …

• Have you told Jesus that you love him today? 
• I went through a long season where it was hard for me to love God, because I struggled to experience his love. Read more in “Do You Really Love Me?” I pray that you will know in the deepest part of your soul how very much he loves you. 

[1] 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
[2] 1 John 4:8 and 16
[3] Revelation 4:5
Image of holding hands from: http://catholiclane.com/wp-content/uploads/holding-hands-.jpg

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