Returning to Our First Love

Have you ever had a hobby that you simply walked away from? Maybe you collected stamps or football cards as a child and gave it up. Maybe you collected Barbie dolls then grew out of your love for them.

Perhaps it was a life decision that took away your hobby. Many people give up their “toys” when marriage or the first child comes along. Having to walk away from a jet ski, sports car, or club membership isn’t always a first choice!

For those who have had to give up a hobby, have you ever been blessed to go back to it? Maybe after the kids were grown and gone you found a place for that Lionel train display, got a different sports car, or began to travel again like when you were first married.

Returning to a loved hobby is an incredibly sweet thing, but that pales in comparison to returning to a lost love in the human realm. Whether it is one thought dead in war to be found alive, or the reuniting of two sweethearts long separated by the intricacies of life, reuniting with a loved one is precious. This is even more true when we are returning to the God we once loved with all our hearts, but no longer do.

Love for Christ is a Way of Life

As I state in Bible Studies for Life, when you experience spiritual awakening, you will “return to a love for Christ that permeates everything you do.”¹ Love for Christ isn’t a Sunday morning or Wednesday night ritual. It is a way of life; it consumes everything within us.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus has mixed reviews for the church at Ephesus, although He commends them for a number of good deeds, including intolerance of evil and false teachers, endurance and strength. All the good must have sounded like so much dust in the wind when Jesus brought forward the one thing He had against this church: it had abandoned the love it had at the first.²

Works Do Not Surpass Love

Jesus’ correction is swift and specific: “Remember how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at the first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place–unless you repent.”³ The Ephesians’ loss of their love for Christ was no small thing in the eyes of the Lord. It revealed their hearts. Works for Christ did not surpass love for Christ.

That’s the very battle we face today. It’s easier to look at church attendance, working hard, leading a small group, and similar things as all God wants from us. But God wants our hearts! He wants us to love Him, and to be passionate for His presence. Loving God leads to serving Him, but serving God never takes the place of loving Him.

During this week, take some time to reconnect your heart to God’s heart. Tell Him you love Him. Remember those days when you could not get enough of His word, when you could not pray enough, when most of the day was filled with thoughts of His goodness. Then ask Him to restore it each and every day.

Now is the Time to Lead,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
President, Southern Baptist Convention

References

¹– Bible Studies for Life, Awake, Ronnie Floyd
²– Revelation 2:2-4, summary
³– Revelation 2:6