Jesus as our first love
Have you been in love? This person is more important to you than eating or sleeping and thoughts of them infuse your mind night and day. You see everything differently – your whole outlook changes. You are alive – in the alertness of your perception and appreciation, having a fresh sense of wonder, and vivid consciousness of the present, history, future, and count the passage of time differently. Your recognition of relationship connections changes and your priorities shift. You are fixated on the other person – seeing them in their rich diversity and essence and you define yourself in a new way.
Keep your love for Christ as fresh as when you first loved.
- We love Him, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. (2Cor 5:14 Message )
- Jesus revelation to the church: But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love]. (Revelation 2:4 Amp)
- The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time. It’s the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you’ve been hungry for more. It’s as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. He’s the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit. (Colossians 1:5)
- So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us. (2 Timothy 1:13)
We invite Australia to focus on Jesus as our first love and not to be afraid to say ‘YES’ to Jesus and let Him have victory in every aspect of our hearts.
‘We have many doors in our heart-home and He stays within the confines of whatever boundary we allow Him.’ Sandy writes, ‘I was overwhelmed with His love, desire, and yearning to be allowed access into our lives. And then I saw the truth that He had been knocking on the doors of our families, homes, churches, denominations, schools, cities, states and countries. He has had this same quest throughout all history. He has wanted to find a resting place where He could swell in reciprocal love and be fully accepted and embraced.
But we set up our own boundaries for Him. And to some degree we have resisted Him, grieved Him, quenched Him, despised His voice, scorned His words, defamed Him and spoken evil of Him. His love is so deep, so passionate, so intense that no amount of rejection and suffering has kept Him from His quest. He has been relentless to find His resting place, where His fullness can dwell without restraints, without measure, with the fullest expression.’ Sandy Warner, Intercessors Arise p206-7
Do you love Jesus more and more?
Or have you forsaken your first love? (Revelation 2:4)