Your First LoveHave you left your first Love? According to Rev. 2:1-7 it's God's will for you to know the answer to that question. If you want to make sure, judge yourself. If you judge yourself you will not be judged. When you are chastened of the Lord it's so you may not be condemned with the world.(1Cor 11:31-32) Our Father God chastens whom He loves. It may not feel good at that moment, but it is ssssssooo good for you. He restores you to a better place. Gods will is to restore you, draw you closer and closer to Himself. Inspirational Bible verses keep you on the right path. The end is far better than the beginning – at the end you will be filled with joy – you will know you are much loved of God. So it is a very good thing to continually judge yourself with the Word of God.
The Bible verses in Rev.2:1-7 speak to the church of Ephesus. Let the Word speak directly to you and become personal when you examine your own heart as you read it. Revelation 2:2...5”I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp-stand from its place — unless you repent.” Leaving your First Love is obviously no small thing in the eyes of God. Are you a person who labors for the Lord, hates evil, did all the above with perseverance and have not become weary? All this is good, nevertheless if you have left your first love you must correct that.
The first instruction the Lord gives is to remember from where you have fallen. The Message Bible puts it this way, ..“Rev 2:5 Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall!” What?! A Lucifer fall? Wow-that sounds serious. That should make anyone want to sit up and take a good hard look at what God is trying to say here about your first love. God continues and says, “repent and do the first works.” Repent means to turn around. Do a 180 in other words, change your thinking. So go back and remember how it was when you were first converted and convicted of your sin. Remember when Jesus was your first love you were saved by His Grace alone.
True conversions consisted of things like; a true sorrow, a brokenness over sin,...there would have been a helpless lost feeling. And a knowing that only Jesus could save you out of the state you were in. At conversion there's a complete falling on only One who can lift you up and save you from the pit. A joy fills you when you feel the effects of His saving Grace all over you. Gratitude bubbled up inside and thankfulness overflowed in praise that would not stop. Jesus was your first love. You couldn't stop thinking of Him all the time. You talked to Him almost constantly. The Word of God was fascinating with the Holy Spirit opening up new revelations to you as you devoured the Word daily. These "good works" came automatically. They were the works of the Holy Spirit. It took no effort on your part, it was just a result of the encounter with God. You only believed. You had a faith in Jesus your first love, knowing that He alone will cause you to stand before the Father sinless. Because of the Blood of Jesus alone you were justified. There was a leaning on Jesus, a trust in Him to work all things out in you and joy filled your heart. You knew you were justified by His blood saved by His Grace.
Are there areas in your life where you have assumed the responsibility of good works and have left your first love? Has the Bible become stale to you? When was the last time you received a revelation in the Word of God? Do you think you know the Word so well that it has lost it's fascination to you? These are signs that you have left your first love. How much time of the day are you aware of the presence of God around you? How often do you think about Him and take time to talk to Him during daily activities? Like a married couple can slip into complacency, have you taken Him for granted and neglected to keep your relationship with Him fresh and exciting? If you have been trying to do these things in your own ability you have failed and have left your first love.
When walking in so called "good works" for a long time, it is easy to fall into a state of mind that is like the Pharisee who thought in his heart... “Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'....etc... Have we changed since we have come to the Lord? Has God cleaned up our life? -Good!- (What real good there is - God did it) But... if we let our self get to the point that even for one moment we think in our heart that we deserve any credit for anything good we have done, then we have come to the point of this Pharisee and we have left our first love. We are walking in the flesh.The flesh is anything bad or good that we do in our own ability. Gal 5:4-54 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. NKJV Grace can not be mixed with any Law. In other words our own works can not be mixed with Grace, the works of God. If we attempt to be justified by our own works, as written in the Expositor's Study Bible;... "Christ is become of no effect unto you (this is a chilling statement, and refers to anyone who makes anything other than Christ and the Cross the Object of his Faith), whosoever of you are justified by the Law (seek to be Justified by the Law); you are fallen from Grace (fallen from the position of Grace, which means the Believer is trusting in something other than the Cross; it actually means, “to apostatize”). No wonder God is so strong about this subject of your first love. It is God who does the work in our heart changing us from the inside out... Unless you abide in Me, you can do nothing - John 15:4-7
When Jesus is your first love, you walk in the Spirit. In the beginning, all the works you did were by simply believing God. All works were by the power of the Spirit not the flesh. God lifted us up, God cleansed us, God picked us up out of the pit because of His mercy not for any good works. It was God the Holy Spirit who opened up the scriptures to us and kept the Word fresh and gave us revelations. It was the Holy Spirit who lead the relationship and kept it fresh and exciting. In the beginning we didn't know enough to let pride take us down the wrong way. Our heart was soft and pliable toward God when He was our first love. We were open to new truths in the Word and teachable knowing nothing and relied on God alone to lead us. Has your heart been lifted up by reason of your great knowledge? Is there pride found within your soul where secretly your flesh has taken credit were only God should have the glory? Pride was found in Lucifer by reason of his great beauty and he thought he could be like God. He was lifted up and thought he was something and took some credit for himself. He thought himself better than others believing he deserved some glory. Lucifer wanted worship. Do you crave recognition for the accomplishments you perceive you have done?
Where have you missed the mark? Pride will try to stop us from seeing it. Begin again your walk with God and open yourself up to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to show you. Be painfully honest and allow God to shine His glorious light in you. You may be shocked to see what is hiding in the deep corners inside your heart. Things you had no idea were there. Scripture tells us Jer 17:9-10... "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind,”NKJV How after all this time we have walked with the Lord could we still have fall so short? If we can see it and acknowledge areas where we have left our first love, and admit we have fallen short of the glory of God, we have gained great success. Don't let pride cause you to be embarrassed – no, being able to see it is actually a sign of maturity.
You know how to over come it, the same way as it was in the beginning. Have a true sorrow, a brokenness over sin. Trust God knowing that only Jesus can save you out of the state you are in. Go back to the only work you did in the beginning which was to simply believe God. As Jesus has said many times,"only believe". Lean on Jesus alone knowing He would do it all. Let the joy of salvation flood you once again. Return to your first love. We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the testimony of our mouth. Speak your faith our loud. Do the first works- believe that God will do it in you. Have a faith and belief in Jesus again as your first love, knowing that He alone will cause you to stand before the Father sinless. Not for any other reason, not for any kind of accomplishments but because of the Blood of Jesus alone you are justified. Come back to the child like faith in Him. BY GRACE you are saved.Your sins though they are scarlet have been made white as snow washed away in His Blood and have made you whole. Rev 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."' NKJV Rev 3:19-20 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. NKJV Ps 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. NKJV
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