I’m joining Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt. Five minutes. No editing. All of us writing on that same word.
And the first prompt for 2016 is … First.
Love sure can be fickle. We throw the word around rather casually from loving a favorite sweater to loving a TV program or to our love of a favorite food.
Yet upon seeing the word prompt, the echo came to “Return to my first love.” I quickly opened to the familiar passage and read the letter to the church in Ephesus found in Revelation 2. Jesus saw all their hard work and their endurance. He commended them for not tolerating evil people but discerning the truth. They patiently suffered without quitting.
Jesus had only one complaint of them:
“You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen!! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.”Â
(Revelation 2: 4-5, NLT)
In spite of all the good they were doing, they were not doing the most important – they were not loving Jesus the way they had at first. Their hearts had grown cold.
And not only towards Jesus. They also did not love each other as they did at first. Correct theology, good deeds, even perseverance will all be empty if love is absent in our lives. Jesus wants our hearts to be alive with passion. Filled to the brim with the same fervent love we had when we first began so that it overflows to those around us.
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 37-38, NLT)
A wonderful reminder to start off this year of 2016 …
The first and most important thing to do –
return to our first love, loving Him as we did at first.
And love others.
Today I am joining … Five Minute Friday and Faith Filled Friday and Grace & Truth .
Joanne,
You have a beautiful blog!
Such a great reminder that the love God requires of us is not only toward Him, but toward others. It isn’t easy, but we are dry without that love — which is why our acts are meaningless.
Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Selena
Thank you, Selena. May we remember, “the greatest of these is love.” Grateful you stopped & shared with me. Blessings!
Inspiring and beautifully written!
Much appreciated. May we keep Him first, always.
Dear Joanne,
Thoroughly enjoyed your writing this morning.
Taking in the scripture whisper given to you this morning.
The busyness the muscle but without love….I can so relate, it tends to be my default.
It is interesting because Revelations 3 has become a sort of anthem for me, and yet without the truth of chapter before we won’t be true Christ Kingdom builders, just another kingdom, which will eventually will fade away.
Blessings on you
&
Cheers! {your 5minfri neighbor} Leah
Yes. May we hold onto Him, our passion maintained – for all of our days.
I appreciate the insight. Not only returning to that first love, but loving Him as we did at first. It has a sweetness just thinking about it.
There is definitely a sweetness about a first love. May we remember that feeling & renew our passion all year long!
Joanne, what a great reminder. May we all have passionate love of Jesus. I’m parked in the #6 spot this week.
Tara, as we give Him first place in our lives, all else will fall into place. Blessings on your year!
Yes. This is so true and a wonderful word to start the new year with. If I only do one thing this year, may it be to return with passion and zeal. Thank you, Joanne.
Laura, somehow I cannot imagine you being any other way. May we maintain our passion for our first love every day. Grateful you stopped here. Blessings!
Beautiful, Joanne. Absolutely beautiful. A great focus for the year. I’m going to write it in my journal for today. Thank you!
As we keep Him & others first, our hearts will burn fervently with love.