Word of the Week - First Love
"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 21:4-5
Christ – Our First Love – I think it is human nature to allow life and the things of this world to come into our lives and compete with our most important relationships. If we are not careful and intentional, this can easily happen in relationships with our spouse, family members and friends. Our relationship with Jesus/God can be especially challenged since God is spirit and not a physical person we see day-to-day. I remember when I first came to Christ and was born of the spirit, I was so in love and excited about my newfound relationship with Christ that it was all I could think about and mostly what I wanted to talk about, similar to being a newly-wed. In fact, my wife Amy and I just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary; I am thankful to the Lord that we are still happily married and believe the best is yet to come! I can remember our wedding day and how easy it was to be madly in love with my new bride at the young age of 22. But as to be expected, life has thrown us lots of curve balls causing times of distance and strain on our relationship. We have decided that our love is deeper than the things of this world that try to break us apart, so we continue to pursue and intentionally invest in our relationship to keep the flame burning by having committed date nights each week, praying together daily, taking romantic trips, writing each other notes/letters, doing marriage retreats/intensives, working with an amazing couple who does marriage enhancement/coaching and the list goes on. No matter how much you love someone, it is not realistic to think that a relationship will be sustained without investing in the relationship. Our relationship with Christ Jesus is very similar, we must continue to renew our love for God by investing in our relationship with Him through doing the things we did at first like: praising and worshipping God, talking to God through prayer, reading God’s word and memorizing scripture, fasting, giving and serving and simply pursuing your relationship with God.Return to Christ – As we begin this New Year, I pray we will take inventory and make adjustments to our lives so we can experience the fullness of our relationship with Jesus our First Love. If you have never experienced the fullness of God by being born anew of the Spirit, there is no better time than now to surrender your life and start afresh in 2021. The following is a link to a sermon that is one of the best I have ever heard on salvation: https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/do-you-love-me1. Praying the prayer of salvation and making Jesus your Lord and savior is the best decision you will ever make. For those who have already surrendered their hearts and are pursuing God, there is no better time than now to assess, adjust and recommit to our daily disciplines in pursing an abiding relationship with Christ. This is the process of returning to Christ your First Love. My friend John Maxwell says “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.” Like any relationship, our relationship with the Lord is something that requires daily focus and attention. Since it is the most important relationship in our lives, I would submit that it requires the most focus and attention.Make Christ our First Fruits – The principal of First Fruits is very simple and straightforward: God desires to be the priority in our lives and He wants us to honor Him by giving Him our first and best. He loves us so much that He is jealous for our love and attention and does not want to compete for the top position in our lives. He will not tolerate being second. This concept is emphasized throughout scripture beginning with the 1st Commandment that states, “You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:2. He simply wants us to put Him first above all things. He promises that with divine order comes divine blessings: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the Firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” Proverbs 3:9-10. I love this spiritual principal because it is a tangible way to love and honor God. This principal not only pertains to our money/resources but to every aspect of our lives to include our time, energy and pursuits. Jesus desires to be first in our day, week, month and year. There is amazing power, peace and protection in the simple act of placing God first.As we begin 2021, I encourage you to return to your First Love, Jesus, and test the Lord in this principal of First Fruits. Our pastor at Church of the Highlands has lead us for the last 20 years in making the Lord first by starting each year with 21 days of prayer and fasting to put our focus on God and declare our dependence on the Lord. I would encourage you to join us for the next 21 days as we pray and seek the Lord together. You can learn more or join the prayer service virtually each day by clicking on https://21days.churchofthehighlands.com/. I hope you will join us; I guarantee it will be a life changing experience for you and this new year.Happy New Year and blessings in 2021,-Duane