Remember Your First Love? Rev 2:4

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

“Nevertheless, I hold this against you, that you have left the love you had at first.”

“But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave!” Rev 2:4

Query:

Well, do you remember your first love? Was it not exciting, all consuming, interfered with your appetite, sleep, and responsibilities? Even your memory? All you could focus on was that one ‘love’ and how great you felt when you were with that one love – and conversely, how horrible you felt when you were not.

Now, can you remember how you felt [your first love] when you came to know Christ? When you confessed your sins and accepted HIS healing powers chasing away guilt, sadness, uselessness, worthlessness, the feeling that you or your life may be doomed? Not everyone has the same response but most everyone has a heart that suddenly is bursting with warmth and joy and wants to shout from the rooftops “Guess who has become my new best friend and love of my life?”

For some, this happens at church when the pastor or leader calls those who haven’t come to know Jesus yet and want to know HIM to the front of the church. He/she prays over and for them. They walk away and as they begin to learn what they have gotten themselves into --- GOD’s LOVE, the fire of first love is ignited and burns white hot for a period of time. Some become members of the church, they want to attend all the church services, want to volunteer to do things, talk to their families, their work or school friends, strangers. Every minute of every day is Jesus! Some miss meals, lose sleep, forget their normal routine, even to eat but now, if they do eat they pray before their meal. But, like many who suddenly are inspired by a passion, they have a burst of energy out of the gate and then start to lose steam. They are more a quarter horse than a work horse. It is quite normal. Hence Jesus counsel to the ancient church of Ephesus as quoted above.

The Ephesians were on fire in their First Love of Jesus after being started  by the apostle Paul. In fact, Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians about this love:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” [Eph 3:14-19]

Jesus gave the Church of Ephesus a good report commending them for their integrity in GOD. But, in all their works they’d become so busy they lost that ‘glow’ from their first love. He admonishes them to remember how they were and how far they’d fallen and self-correct or they may lose their standing. This was to the ‘Church’ but within the Church the individuals had to have cooled off too. According to Jesus, they had to not only fan the flames of love back to life in their own instance but as a Church that individual passion for Christ would be manifest. Our FIRST love of Jesus cannot grow dim in the perfunctory chores of Christian living. It is from this passion the ‘works’ of our love of Jesus are seen and vice versa in our works those who have not experienced that love may find it infectious!

It is said that Jesus would not bruise a reed nor extinguish a smoldering wick. [Matt 12:20] – paraphrased. When first I read that many years ago, my mind immediately went to the times when our family went camping and the camp fire was dying out. It had gone from the raging flames as it caught fire, to the marshmallow roasting embers and as it lost fuel to the ‘smoldering’ last moments of heat. A wick in a candle burns high and bright at first but it too begins to dim and shrink as it loses fuel eventually to smoldering before it dies out. If we find ourselves in our faith and passion in Jesus and for GOD at that ‘smoldering’ barely visible state and do not replenish the fuel it needs, there is a danger. Some who have been reduced to the ‘smolder’ state of faith need someone to come and fan their flame at least to the warm embers if not the white hot high flame. As in all things our faith will ebb and flow; our flame will be high hot and bright and then less visible orange, glowing heat that still warms those around us. At times life impedes us and if we succumb to the pressures and stresses of life our faith gets turned all the way down to smoldering and if not reignited could be completely extinguished with a bucket of water or a kick of some dirt. Jesus said he would not extinguish a smoldering wick but we could allow it to be on our own.

How to fan those flames and stoke up the passion:

1.  Prayer! [First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made concerning all sorts of men, (1Tim 2:1) --- “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” (Phil 4:6)]

a.   Sometimes the simplest form of prayer --- that of THANKSGIVING --- is all that it takes. You have life; you still have faith; give thanks to GOD for all the blessings that is your life --- those that are obvious and those you do not have any awareness of because in any day things happen in the background we are unaware of while we are left to enjoy our lives.

b.  Praise: Who cannot give praise to GOD for all that HE has done. For HIS creation.

                                        i.    Considering how popular dog, cats and wildlife videos are on FACEBOOK it would seem at least for many the common denominator for mankind is a warm spot in our heart for the animal realm. Praise GOD for HIS creation.

                                       ii.    For the many beautiful photos on Instagram of gorgeous sights all over earth another common denominator for mankind is appreciation for the earth. Praise GOD for HIS creation.

                                     iii.    For the many science posts on all social media, perhaps the universe grabs our hearts, minds and souls with extreme sense of awe. Praise GOD for HIS creation.

c.   Intercession: Perhaps you know someone who is very sick, has hit rock bottom in life, is dealing with a horrific event. Did you know you could pray for them? On their behalf? Many people will respond to friends who are sick or having issues with ‘I will pray for you’. That is intercession. If you find yourself waning and smoldering in your faith, exercise charity in prayer. Pray for someone you know is having struggles and see if you do not feel better.

2.  Charity: [“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (1Cor 13:8) “Love never fails…”]

a.   Giving of yourself to others in any way is the practice of ‘charity’ or love. We do this often for our immediate and extended family because we were taught that is what family does. But we are a family on a much larger scale than just our own. We are a part of the ‘human’ family. And larger still is our relationship as part of the family of GOD in Christ. Thus, giving of yourself in love through works of charity also reignites our smolders.

3.  Self-Improvement: [Immediately by night the brothers sent both Paul and Silas to Be·roeʹa. On arriving, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thes·sa·lo·niʹca, for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Therefore, many of them became believers, and so did quite a few of the reputable Greek women as well as some of the men.” (Acts 17:10-12)]

a.   Read your copy of the Bible.

                                        i.    You do not have to start at the beginning. Go online and Google a topic you are interested in and when you find the topic in the Bible read those parts of the Bible and experience the edification to our faith that helps fan the smolders back to life. [“So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another.” (Romans 14:19)] Again, this scripture focuses on a way we can ‘help’ one another. Show charity/love to one another.

                                       ii.    Another way to start: Read the first book of the New Testament, Matthew. It is the first of four books which together comprise the Gospels. They are wonderful books recounting the life and death of Jesus.

                                     iii.    Another is to start with Paul’s writings by beginning at Romans. This gives you a chance to watch Paul, who before conversion was a well-established lawyer of Jewish law, set out the new case for Christians – Freedom’s reign vs the Law. Subsequent books by him feature some of the ways he taught converts to Christianity in his day to live as Christians and to build their faith as such.

                                     iv.    Another way is to read the Psalms. A fantastic collection of King David and others. Especially significant in the Psalms is the transparent vulnerability of the King of the Jews in his struggles as a King, as a Believer, as a man, as a human and how they were each lived by him. His faith and dependence on his GOD was recorded and serves as a constant inspiration to anyone.

                                       v.    Another awesome way to read the Bible is to have it closed on your lap. Pray for guidance from GOD to read something that will answer a prayer, increase your faith, whatever thing you may wish in all sincerity and when you have completed your prayer without looking at the Bible use your thumbs to just open it at a random place and read the two pages to find that nugget that is the answer to your prayer/that increases your faith, etc. I really love doing this.

                                     vi.    Another way is to set a goal to read the Bible from beginning to ending in a specific time. Most choose a year. You can actually go online and find an entire calendar that tells you what to read each day to make that goal. Now, I will tell you, there are sections of the Bible that are a little dry, that contain information [some of it very repetitive] you may find tedious. However, it all adds knowledge to your faith and as you do your Bible reading you begin to see how things work together.

                                   vii.    Join a Bible Study at your Church. Or ask your family if they’d like to set aside a few minutes once a week to read and share their thoughts on a specific chapter or book.

Bottom Line:

If you no longer feel that great burn of First love for Jesus, for GOD, there is something you can do. If you have never known the burning first love of Jesus or of GOD, there is something you can do. “And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well…”James 5:15.  Who is not sick or tired or worn out once in a while?  

There is nothing so fulfilling and so great as to be on fire for the LORD!

“Be aglow with the spirit… 12 Rejoice in the hope… Persevere in prayer.” – Rom 12:11-12

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015