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| First love lost |
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This Saturday our pastor had a word of caution for our church at the monthly men’s breakfast. Taken from Revelation 2:1-7, where Jesus starts by commending the church at Ephesus for its good deeds, hard work, perseverance, intolerance for wickedness, discernment, endurance…in short, their great work!! But then the bad news...
2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
This word struck a personal chord with me. I heard God saying, “Remember how your heart soared! Remember when you first realized it was love! You were willing to do anything! Your only reward was the one you loved, not what they could do for you!"
Not that I feel as though I’ve lost my first love, but I did hear God calling me to remember. I’m doing quite a few things for God these days. Am I doing them for the right reasons? Where is my heart?
The words “first love” don’t refer to the first love of many, but at love's start. That is, at the start of the relationship, when the excitement factor is at its highest. Selfishness hasn’t yet had time to creep in. Thoughts of the one loved fill the mind! Silly indelible grin. Caution to the wind, pragmatism no where to be found.
But over time, a zillion tiny distractions, nearly imperceptible individually, can eventually take their toll. Love doesn’t abruptly come to an end, but gradually ebbs away. Heart no longer soaring among the clouds, having fallen, weighted and hopelessly burdened by feelings of self pity and doubt. Thus, appreciation for lover lost!
Our pastor reiterated that feelings follow. To “do the things you did at first”, as the scripture says, will result in feelings of love eventually returning in response. That is, act like you did when you loved, and heart-love will follow. And I would like to add, that it seems if we discipline ourselves to persevere in appreciation, real love will stay, even grow. How can it not? Isn’t there an unbreakable bond between love and appreciation? How can one love and not appreciate? How can one continue to appreciate over time and not see fondness turn into love?
In the spirit of self-examination I ask, have I forsaken my first love? For God, at this time, I feel the answer is no. Rather, I feel as though my love for God is as strong as it has ever been. For my wife, the answer is similar, particularly because my love for God is so strong. And in order to maintain my first love, I resolve to appreciate both. Not just for the many ways they bless me, but especially for the grace by which those blessings come. My reward? Relationships, which themselves are a source of daily joy!
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| To add a comment to "First love lost" |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| The same applies for marriages. And I know that eventually the actions will bring back the feelings. I always give up too soon, me thinks. |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Well, this blew me out of the water (maybe I should say boat). Definitely food for thought. Thank you & God bless you. |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| So powerful, and such a great examination of who we are in Christ. Bless you & thank you for the reminder. |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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I agree Lara! Though I did the spiritual self-exam upon listening to our pastor's sermon, I frequently psycho-analyze our marriage as well. It's pretty awesome that the same principles that benefit our spiritual "marriage" (doing and appreciating) also benefit our physical one too!
Thanks Pandabear! That means more to me that you'll know! |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| I appreciate that, 1morvictory! (love the profile name, btw) |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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How beautiful guy!
The only way to truely love is to be in love with God, for then we really know what love is!
...and you have the best wife EVER! |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| hehe, yep! Thanks Cher! |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Mike: Awesome! I look at my marriage to Ken as a reflection of my relationship to God.......honestly. Sometimes it's not good........gotta go back to first love :) |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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Amen Cindy! First love = love at first!
Q: Have you ever wondered if it might be impossible to go back to the way it was? |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Great blog Mike! I can always count on you for something thought provoking. :) This is so rich! |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Mike: I think we can go back, but with more knowledge, wisdom and understanding :) Awesome to be able to go back with greater joy........ain't it? |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Grreat work mike thanks |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Wonderfull word, my Friend. Thank you. |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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Oh Mike this is so Beautiful. My first Love God and
Someday, when the time is right and if it is His Will, I will
Reap the Joys of a New Relationship, Sharing Gods Love.
13:13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| Dude, I'm reading this one to my wife. |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| That's a great Word Mike, Amen! |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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| I want this..... |
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| January 13, 2009 |
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Many many thanks! It seems I have another opportunity to self-evaluate. Tonight we watched a DVD with Ed Young of Fellowship Church preach a sermon entitled, "One Prayer: Make Us Awake!" Have I fallen asleep, spiritually speaking? Do I ever? How do I prevent it? The scripture verse was Ephesians 5:14-17. The message was similar to the one that inspired this blog. Just as first love gradually slips away until completely lost, we believers are slowly lulled to sleep by the lullabies of the devil, until we are sleepwalking, accomplishing nothing and wasting time and God-given opportunities. Given the similarities, I'm sure God has a deeper message for me.
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| January 14, 2009 |
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Powerful message. I always took this to be losing the first-love of the Lord, that zeal, commitment you had, enthusiasm and the feeling you couldn't do enough. You opened my eyes today all love. I have in the past experienced losing the first love that I had for the Lord, because I turned my back for so many yeats however, since Jesus renewed within me a new spirit (7-18-04) my life hasn't been the same. I have fallen in love with Jesus, why, because he first loved me? Experience a 180 degree turn around, going the opposite direction. Something I hadn't experienced since my teen years until I walked away in my early 20's. God is good - all the time; all the time - God is good. Saturday, Jan. 24th, marks the first anniversary of when the Lord gave me the second chance at life. In 2008, this date, I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. They didn't believe I would live through the night however, God had other plans. I was so far gone that I had already begun to turn dark. Then, Jesus passed by. Oh, I am so thankful for those times in my life that, Jesus passes by and your can reach out and touch the hem of his garment.
Many times I may fail him, but he hasn't and will never fail me. I have learned in those times of failures to get up, and moved forward in him.
I believe "Jesus is Coming Soon!" |
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| January 14, 2009 |
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| Larry, wonderful, awesome, fantastic testimony! Your zeal is apparent, your perseverance has been evidenced. May you continue in what you have learned and become convinced of concerning your Savior!!! |
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| January 14, 2009 |
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| This is a great blog Mike. It really makes me think and do a little check point as to where I am in my walk with Christ. We must never forget our first love. I think we need to do this little self evaluation on a constant basis to make sure we are walking where we should be. |
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| January 14, 2009 |
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Indeed Deb! It is so easy to drift...to go into autopilot....to be lulled to sleep by the devil, or even by our own tendencies towards complacency. Where's my heart, where's my heart...gotta keep askin', where's my heart! |
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| January 14, 2009 |
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Thank God although we may loose Him at times He NEVER looses us!! LUV IT Mike! I must admit it can be difficult at times to stay loyal and true to my first love, with all that screams for my attention! Although I didn't completely leave My First Love there were area's that weren't completely His :( ...Praise God thought that when He touches that part of my heart He occupies it, revives it, making it new and makes it almost(I say almost to be on the safe side.. I'm human and put nothing past me :( ) impossible to allow anything or anyone else to ever occupy that area again! I am so grateful that He will do whatever it takes to make me completely His! I'm grateful that He is Faithful even when I'm not..now that's LOVE! I'm also grateful that He relentlessly pursues me! I find that each trial I face brings me closer causing me to trust and fall more in Love with Him, which ultimately makes even the deepest darkest valleys easier to walk through! Recently I went through one of those dark valleys and can honestly say I've never trusted Him more than I do at this point in my life or been more in Love with Him than I am now! P.S. At times it was discouraging, I became weary and felt hopeless in that dark valley. I often felt I'd never get it and got sooo frustrated with myself! I was being pulled in so many wrong directions...all the while Jesus was drawing me to Himself....well let's just say praise God for His relentlessness...His Love is more powerful than my straying heart! Below is a song that helped me tremendously during this time...I pray that it may also help someone else that may be facing a similar situation and feeling discouraged! Luv you all! God Bless!  Sorry I tried several times but for some reason the link won't post. You can go to youtube or my playlist the song is First Love by petra. I know it may be inconvenient but I assure you it's worth your time! :) |
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| January 14, 2009 |
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I love it Mike, the Awesome thing about the first love, when you sought Him, you saw her (Laura), then as your love for Him grew, He began to trust you with a little more, the closer you get to Him the more He will give to you. you Guys be forever Blessed. love you |
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| January 15, 2009 |
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My True First Love
Love isn't lost it's around here somewhere
I've looked here and I've looked there
But in this cluttered mess that I live in
I almost lose hope of finding it again
Lord you know how busy I am for You
With so many church activities to do
With family and work and other things
Along with the "extras" life brings
So many things that I must do
So many things that don't include You
I wish it could be like it was at first
I wish I could quench this thirst
If only life wasn't so complicated
If only my first love could be duplicated
Oh to go back to a simpler time
Instead of hearing You like a mime
When I had time to spend with You
When we had time to work things thru
When my heart desire was Your presence
But now all I really desire is more presents
Cause the more I have the more I can give
(And the more blessed I am able to live)
There are so many things that must be done
I hate to do this Lord but I really have to run
"Amen" and I check prayer off my to do list
"amen" and a dark one laughs in the mist
.....peace.....
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| January 15, 2009 |
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Thanks Sheree, nothin like that first love, now is there? Let us hang onto it! Gordon, much in your poem for us to identify with, either now or in the past. You really captured well how love for God can be snuffed out of a busy hectic lifestyle, even one supposedly lived for God!! Angela, praising God w/you, for his relentless faithful love for us! There will be dark valleys as long as we're on this terrestrial ball, but God promises never to leave or forsake us....amen! |
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| January 18, 2009 |
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Good thoughts Mike !
To try to ans. your question of "...is it possible to go back?"
I am wanting to do that at this time, to rekindle that "first Love", and what The Holy Spirit is saying to me is to "Forsakeing All Others" like I pleged to my Wife.
I believe it is possible to get the "wow" back in your first Love life, with Jesus, and with your mate!!!!!!!!!! |
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| January 18, 2009 |
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I agree Tom....I've read accounts of people achieving this, often in fact. I share your optimism!
Awesome to hear from ya PT! |
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| August 24, 2009 |
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