Your First Love

"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love."
~Revelation 2:4

Do you remember your first love? Mine was Michael Ashby. We were both thirteen and met at the county fair. By the time summer ended, we had planned our wedding, designed our dream home, and named our kids. But then school started and we were freshmen...high school! I met Alan, he met Cherie and our "love" was gone. Of course, over the next few years, there were several loves of my life, all just as fleeting, and although I can't remember their names, I will always remember my very first love.

Life is a busy place. We have a lot to do and it seems as if there just isn't enough time to get everything done. Some days, I don't know how I get anything done because it seems like nothing is ever really done. But the one thing we must do is remember Who we are supposed to put first above all else - Jesus Christ. 

It's easy to put off reading the Bible, praying, or taking time for praise and worship in our daily lives. It's not unusual to sit in church and tick off all the things we still need to get done if only the preacher would finish his sermon. It's common to try and finish up that one last chore, or last bit of paperwork before finally collapsing into bed without a single hallelujah passing our lips. But if Christ is truly our first love, shouldn't we make time for Him?


"One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple (Psalm 27:4)."

Do you remember the day you accepted Christ as your Savior? I do. I remember the overwhelming joy and love I felt. I was so overcome that I cried for days. I couldn't even speak about what happened to me without bursting into tears. It was the greatest experience of my life. But I also remember how, as time went by, I let the duties of life creep in and replace that joy. I had a husband, a young child, a job, responsibilities to tend to. I went to church three times a week but I found myself thinking of all I could be doing if I wasn't "required" to be sitting in church. I also found that on the days I didn't go to church, I picked up my Bible less and less.

That is how the devil works. He uses the little things, the normal things of life to subvert our attention from God. It is up to us to be diligent and watchful. There is nothing more important in life than our relationship with the Lord, and like any relationship, we have to nurture it. 

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)."

There is a spiritual battle we all must be aware of. Once we become a Christian, we are a target for the demons of hell. The devil knows how the story ends, and he's determined to take as many as he can to hell with him. He knows the Word of God better than we do! He can also appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), sneaky as he is.

But what he does and who he is won't matter if we keep our first Love first. Jesus first. Jesus first thing in the morning by thanking Him, reading Scripture, and prayer. Jesus throughout the day by meditating on His Word, and speaking to Him when we have a moment alone. Jesus at every meal; Jesus at dinner with our families. Jesus before bed; no matter how exhausted we are, there is time to thank Him for our day. 

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:5-8)."

Read Numbers 4:34-6:27

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha © 2018