Opportunity to discuss religious matters together.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Left First Love?
The church in Ephesus was told in Revelation 2 that they had left their first love. How do we make sure that we have not left our first love (as a church and/or as an individual)? If we have, how do get back to our first love?
How do we make sure that we have not left our first love (as a church and/or as an individual)?
When someone mentions their "first love" we may think of something physical; their first kiss, first date, that sort of thing. But when John chastises those in Ephesus for "losing their first love", he is talking about their spirituality. A simple way to consider "lost spiritual love" is to think about what it was like when you first discovered it. 1. God consumes your thoughts and pleasing Him is your primary and earnest desire. 2. You truly love His word, and are willing to study it to understand its meaning and application. 3. You love the company of other Christians who share the same love for the Lord. 4. You want to share with others the blessings you have found. 5. You rely on Him in times of need and give Him the glory in moments of triumph. 6. You carefully follow His teachings and avoid sinning. 7. You ask for forgiveness when you do sin and forgive those who sin against you. 8. You willingly and cheerfully do the Lord's work.
How do you get it back? Pray, Study His word, , Confess your shortcomings, Seek His forgiveness Share your weaknesses with other Christians who love you and are also struggling.
I think in this day & age, it would be very easy to lose our first love, with all the daily distractions (not responsibilities) that are constantly in front of us. I think there's a huge wall in front of this generation to overcome being complacent and comfortable with how things are. Especially since we have never endured the threat of persecution or imprisionment for our beliefs. I also think this wall is even larger for our children.
It bothers me to think that I may have lost my first love & not really be aware of that sad state. I don't feel that I am as zealous as I have been at times in years past. Its easy for me to encourage others, but not so easy to encourage myself. I think we all need to become cheerleaders for each other, to encourage the excitment, joy & zeal that most all of us had at one time. The invisible walls that seem to be there among us need to be broken down so we can truly be as one body of Christ, all working together to our common goal, Heaven.
In my life, if I make a 100% commitment to myself relating to something I want to accomplish, then my mind is set on that course of action & I will follow thru. I think a public reaffirmation of our commitment to Jesus & the Father would be a good starting point. Some of us made that commitment a long time ago & time causes us to forget what prompted us to make that commitment & the feeling we had at that time.
For me, when I'm a bit off, I need to want it first. The word is put on our hearts, but we have to be willing to let it in. If we're hardened, there's nothing that can be done until we change.
But, one thing that helps is prayer, because you begin to realize again how amazing it is when you ask and receive. Encouragement helps as well, which is an issue I have because I don't get out socially enough with Christians besides my close family members. But, when you get that feeling of fulfillment and you get motivated due to Godly things, it is a great feeling that you don't want to ever leave your stomach. Also, the faith we have, if it doesn't leave, will always keep us on track if we put it to practice. It makes us do what we're supposed to do, and after awhile becomes a habit. Things that seem off, probably are, and practicing our faith keeps us from diving into those areas.
Interesting question – I have actually been pondering that very thing. As usual, I don’t have many answers, but these are thoughts that have been circulating in my head. The words “first love” here actually throw me off a bit. (I don’t know the greek word here so I may be way off, but…). When I think about earthly “first love” I think about romantic love. This “first love” is obviously talking about God so we are talking about a father/child relationship. Although, I guess technically your parents are the first ones you love. So, why would you forget or leave that love? Kids whose parents have always raised them in love take that love for granted (I have noticed that kids that don’t receive that love on a regular basis often cherish it more). Kids get tired of being corrected so they search out something or someone who doesn’t demand so much of them. We leave our first love when we start demanding less of ourselves than our parent does. Deuteronomy 32:17-18 says, “They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, NEW gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread. You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.” I think that sums it up well. We as kids forget who gave us birth for a Johnny- come- lately god that looks more interesting and enticing and NEW. The unknown is often more enticing than the familiar. Like teenagers I also think we stop “coming home for dinner.” We get too busy to sit at the table with our Father and talk to Him about our day. We put friends and jobs ahead of sitting down every day to fellowship with our family. So how do you get back to having that dependent one of a kind love between father/child? I’m not that far yet, but trying to find ways to truly appreciate how my Father takes care of me every day and where I would be if He decided He didn’t feel like caring for me anymore. Maybe look at the boundaries that He sets and study why those are in my best interest. Focus on being “there for dinner” every day and spending time with God.
I think we have to treat our "first love" just like we would any human relationship we want to see continue and grow. We can go through the steps and the motions, as you have so often told us, but we have to have a relationship or none of it matters. For example, in our marriage there has to be love and respect because they feed off of each other. It is difficult to love someone you do not respect, and vice versa. This is true of our relationship with the Lord and His church. If we have love, we respect and keep all of the commandments. If we have respect and awe we want to do these things out of love and a sense of duty. Just like our marriage relationship, or other significant ones, we want to nurture it along by continually keeping the relationship going...we spend time with that person, we get to really know them, we have conversations, and we find common ground. To keep our first love we must spend time with the Lord to really know Him, converse with God in prayer and meditation, and meet and spend time with His people (having like faith, and the same mind).
Comparing this to marriage - another lifetime committment. Both marriage and our relationship with God involve the Physical, Emotional and Spiritual dimensions while we are on earth.
We must keep the Love fresh as our lives change (in marriage this is with two people - with Our Heavenly Father - it is solely our effort).
Just as there are changes in a marriage throughout the decades - the committment must remain without becoming monotonous - lukewarm - taking it for granted - a habit. As humans, we become bored easily and are excited and suprised by change - change is refreshing. That's why we like vacations, new paint in a room, new shoes, etc.
We need to remain committed to our first Love by doing the Physical (works to help others), Emotional (studying in COLOR to keep it REAL, and Spiritual by praying to our Father about our daily stuggles, decisions to be made, joys, and thankfulness. Successful communication is the key to both relationships.
As our life changes, our communion with God must change to be fresh and renewed. We have to work at this relationship (just as in marriage).
Some of this is from "Passages of Marriage" which examines how we must change throughout the years to remain "in Love" and committed to the promise made on our wedding day.
If we feel our Love has moved farther away, dig deeper into His Word. Talk to Him upon rising, mid-day and before sleep. Do something kind for someone else with no expectation for self - just because they are a fellow human.
Refresh yourself in the Lord - He is waiting for us - yearning for us to return to Him. It's our work - Just Do It! Or we've lost everything.
How do we make sure that we have not left our first love (as a church and/or as an individual)?
ReplyDeleteWhen someone mentions their "first love" we may think of something physical; their first kiss, first date, that sort of thing. But when John chastises those in Ephesus for "losing their first love", he is talking about their spirituality.
A simple way to consider "lost spiritual love" is to think about what it was like when you first discovered it.
1. God consumes your thoughts and pleasing Him is your primary and earnest desire.
2. You truly love His word, and are willing to study it to understand its meaning and application.
3. You love the company of other Christians who share the same love for the Lord.
4. You want to share with others the blessings you have found.
5. You rely on Him in times of need and give Him the glory in moments of triumph.
6. You carefully follow His teachings and avoid sinning.
7. You ask for forgiveness when you do sin and forgive those who sin against you.
8. You willingly and cheerfully do the Lord's work.
But when that first love is gone:
1. Your thoughts seldom center on the Lord, except perhaps on Sunday, when you feel compelled to attend worship services.
2. You do not study His word on a regular basis but consider it irrelevant or passé.
3. Having contact with "those church people" makes you uncomfortable. You become critical of them.
4. You have no prayer life.
5. You do not join into the work activities of the church or support it financially.
6. To avoid being hypocritical, you are unwilling to discuss spiritual matters with our friends and neighbors.
7. Other loves take His place; worldly pleasures and amusements, fun and frolic consume your time.
8. You have a fear of being exposed as a cheat, a hypocrite and a fraud.
How do you get it back? Pray, Study His word, , Confess your shortcomings, Seek His forgiveness Share your weaknesses with other Christians who love you and are also struggling.
I think in this day & age, it would be very easy to lose our first love, with all the daily distractions (not responsibilities) that are constantly in front of us.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a huge wall in front of this generation to overcome being complacent and comfortable with how things are. Especially since we have never endured the threat of persecution or imprisionment for our beliefs. I also think this wall is even larger for our children.
It bothers me to think that I may have lost my first love & not really be aware of that sad state. I don't feel that I am as zealous as I have been at times in years past.
Its easy for me to encourage others, but not so easy to encourage myself.
I think we all need to become cheerleaders for each other, to encourage the excitment, joy & zeal that most all of us had at one time. The invisible walls that seem to be there among us need to be broken down so we can truly be as one body of Christ, all working together to our common goal, Heaven.
In my life, if I make a 100% commitment to myself relating to something I want to accomplish, then my mind is set on that course of action & I will follow thru.
I think a public reaffirmation of our commitment to Jesus & the Father would be a good starting point. Some of us made that commitment a long time ago & time causes us to forget what prompted us to make that commitment & the feeling we had at that time.
For me, when I'm a bit off, I need to want it first. The word is put on our hearts, but we have to be willing to let it in. If we're hardened, there's nothing that can be done until we change.
ReplyDeleteBut, one thing that helps is prayer, because you begin to realize again how amazing it is when you ask and receive. Encouragement helps as well, which is an issue I have because I don't get out socially enough with Christians besides my close family members. But, when you get that feeling of fulfillment and you get motivated due to Godly things, it is a great feeling that you don't want to ever leave your stomach. Also, the faith we have, if it doesn't leave, will always keep us on track if we put it to practice. It makes us do what we're supposed to do, and after awhile becomes a habit. Things that seem off, probably are, and practicing our faith keeps us from diving into those areas.
Interesting question – I have actually been pondering that very thing. As usual, I don’t have many answers, but these are thoughts that have been circulating in my head. The words “first love” here actually throw me off a bit. (I don’t know the greek word here so I may be way off, but…). When I think about earthly “first love” I think about romantic love. This “first love” is obviously talking about God so we are talking about a father/child relationship. Although, I guess technically your parents are the first ones you love. So, why would you forget or leave that love? Kids whose parents have always raised them in love take that love for granted (I have noticed that kids that don’t receive that love on a regular basis often cherish it more). Kids get tired of being corrected so they search out something or someone who doesn’t demand so much of them. We leave our first love when we start demanding less of ourselves than our parent does. Deuteronomy 32:17-18 says, “They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, NEW gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread. You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.” I think that sums it up well. We as kids forget who gave us birth for a Johnny- come- lately god that looks more interesting and enticing and NEW. The unknown is often more enticing than the familiar. Like teenagers I also think we stop “coming home for dinner.” We get too busy to sit at the table with our Father and talk to Him about our day. We put friends and jobs ahead of sitting down every day to fellowship with our family. So how do you get back to having that dependent one of a kind love between father/child? I’m not that far yet, but trying to find ways to truly appreciate how my Father takes care of me every day and where I would be if He decided He didn’t feel like caring for me anymore. Maybe look at the boundaries that He sets and study why those are in my best interest. Focus on being “there for dinner” every day and spending time with God.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to treat our "first love" just like we would any human relationship we want to see continue and grow. We can go through the steps and the motions, as you have so often told us, but we have to have a relationship or none of it matters. For example, in our marriage there has to be love and respect because they feed off of each other. It is difficult to love someone you do not respect, and vice versa. This is true of our relationship with the Lord and His church. If we have love, we respect and keep all of the commandments. If we have respect and awe we want to do these things out of love and a sense of duty. Just like our marriage relationship, or other significant ones, we want to nurture it along by continually keeping the relationship going...we spend time with that person, we get to really know them, we have conversations, and we find common ground. To keep our first love we must spend time with the Lord to really know Him, converse with God in prayer and meditation, and meet and spend time with His people (having like faith, and the same mind).
ReplyDeleteComparing this to marriage - another lifetime committment. Both marriage and our relationship with God involve the Physical, Emotional and Spiritual dimensions while we are on earth.
ReplyDeleteWe must keep the Love fresh as our lives change (in marriage this is with two people - with Our Heavenly Father - it is solely our effort).
Just as there are changes in a marriage throughout the decades - the committment must remain without becoming monotonous - lukewarm - taking it for granted - a habit. As humans, we become bored easily and are excited and suprised by change - change is refreshing. That's why we like vacations, new paint in a room, new shoes, etc.
We need to remain committed to our first Love by doing the Physical (works to help others), Emotional (studying in COLOR to keep it REAL, and Spiritual by praying to our Father about our daily stuggles, decisions to be made, joys, and thankfulness. Successful communication is the key to both relationships.
As our life changes, our communion with God must change to be fresh and renewed. We have to work at this relationship (just as in marriage).
Some of this is from "Passages of Marriage" which examines how we must change throughout the years to remain "in Love" and committed to the promise made on our wedding day.
If we feel our Love has moved farther away, dig deeper into His Word. Talk to Him upon rising, mid-day and before sleep. Do something kind for someone else with no expectation for self - just because they are a fellow human.
Refresh yourself in the Lord - He is waiting for us - yearning for us to return to Him. It's our work - Just Do It! Or we've lost everything.