Happy Blessed New Year to all BGOers and newcomers to our blog! May the Lord bless you abundantly. We will be opening Talk Tuesday to writers within our BGO community who are interested in sharing their thoughts with us! Please let us know of your interest and we will be in contact with you.
There is much talk of New Year's Resolutions. Many of us want to lose weight, eat healthier and exercise more. Gyms are usually packed this time of the year as we go full speed ahead into achieving our goals.
In Revelations Chapter 2:2-5, the Lord is speaking to the church of Ephesus.
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."
Do you remember the passion of your first love? How is it different from your feelings now? In marriage, we strive to maintain the fire, never allowing the embers to burn out. The mundane routines and stresses of life choke our passion and often leave us feeling spent. We run the risk of taking our spouses, children, family members and those we love, for granted.
What about the Lord?
Is your passion for Jesus the same as when you were first saved? Do you remember the things you did at first? Are they any different from the things you do now? What about your feelings? Do you feel as close to Him now as you did back then? If not, why do you think that is? What does the Lord desire of us as His people? What can we do?
Please share with us from the Word and your heart. I am sure many of us are in the same boat. This is a New Year and a new beginning.
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelations 22:17)
We long to hear from you. You can do so by clicking on the comments link below or accessing the 'How to Add a Comment' on the left hand portion of the screen for instructions.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Talk Tuesday-The Passion Of Your First Love
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
When I was first saved, I spent hours in prayer, worship and fasting. My longings and desires changed. I began to dress with more modesty, interact with others more respectfully and communed with the Holy Spirit daily. My Word was NEVER far from my hand and with each new day, I sought the Lord more. He was my number one, closer than anyone ever could be to me.
As the years went by, trials came. I faced trials that I never thought I would. Then I began to get weary. I still loved God first and foremost, but I began to get remiss in my attitude.
I began to watch t.v. shows and movies that glorified violence, infidelity and blasphemy. I told myself it was entertainment and harmless. I slowly allowed so much of the world to creep back in while continuing to serve and love Jesus. I read my Bible less, watched t.v. more. I received a promotion in my job and my new role required so much more of me. I worked longer hours and exhausted myself more and more.
Yes, I continued to love and serve the Lord, but what of my first love? No, I did not do the things I did at first.
For the New Year, I desire to grow more in Christ. I have stopped watching mindless t.v., I mostly read for relaxation, and am returning to the fervent study of the word and prayer.
I am a curious person by nature, and it was a very mysterious experience when I first got saved. An aquaintance of mine who knew that I'd been going through some tough times suggested that I join her for "a night out" and we went to a service at the Airport church. I don't remember its name, or the year exactly anymore. After the message there was an altar call, and I didn't understand what that entailed,as I had had absolutely no religious or spiritual upbringing and education whatsoever.The best way I can describe what happened to me next was as if some powerful force pulled me up there,and I was saved. I have felt blessed ever since as I've been almost obsessively trying to learn more about what that force was! The more I learn, the more amazed I am, which could possibly explain why the hymn "Amazing Grace" is one of my favourites because the lyrics are so meaningful to me. For years now, each New Year,I've thought about writing my story as a witness, but haven't accomplished it for one reason or another. Perhaps this year it will happen, if God is willing. Another resolution that has as yet been unsuccessfully accomplished is trying to understand what God's will for me is, and what my direction/ministry in life should be. I expressed this to one of my church sisters at one time, and she simply said that perhaps I'm already doing God's will. This somehow seemed too easy and uncomplicated, and I felt a little too naive thinking that way. As I consider resolutions for yet another year, this is what I read this morning and it was like something hit me on the head (non-violently that is): "And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord declared him righteous because of his faith." -Genesis 15:6
I'll sum up by borrowing Natasha's analogy about the embers of the fire of passion possibly burning out, by saying that I plan to continue stoking it as much as I need to to keep it going! I pray that I will either FINALLY get my testimony written, and/or find the direction God intended for me to take.
Please wish me luck fellow B.G.O.ers, and Happy New Year and good luck with your resolutions,
God Bless You All!
Happy New Year to everyone!
This is a good topic for us to reflect on as we start a new year. I can testify to what Special shared.
When I first became a believer, I spent hours in the Word every day, was excited about prayer (I never managed to keep a disciplined schedule, though), and shared the gospel with many people.
One of the things that has definitely changed for me is how much I share the gospel with others. I still do, but the occasions are much fewer than they used to be. I was much more fearless about people's reactions in those early days. I also don't spend as much time as I used to in the Word.
One of the big things I have battled since those early days is not getting discouraged with the experiences I have around other Christians ... learning to focus on what is praiseworthy and honourable instead of what is not. I've also battled unbelief for various challenging situations.
Yesterday I did an exercise from a series on revival by Anne Graham Lotz. This particular exercise focused on taking time to allow God to examine our hearts for known and unknown sin, and to have him cleanse us and instruct us in the inner parts ... then turn and teach others how to find their way back to the Lord (based on Psalm 51). I think this is what the Lord is calling us to do once we realized that we have drifted. There are things that we know we have done that have offended Him, but there are also things that we unknowingly do that we need to become sensitized to.
I wasn't at my church for the New Year's Eve service, but I heard afterwards that the pastor's message was about making a "declaration" instead of a "resolution" about something you were hoping to see become a reality in 2009 ... and placing the focus more on Who God Is in that situation than on what we hope to accomplish or realize ourselves.
So for those of us who feel lukewarm or even cold in our walk with the Lord, we may have a few resolutions for spending more time with the Lord and reading the Word more ... perhaps we can also consider declaring the Lord as the Lover of Our Souls who will draw us back to Himself. Let's trust Him to help us keep loving Him and running this race, and to finish this race well ... He will give us the willing spirit we need to sustain us. It is so evident that we can't do it ourselves.
Hi Dawn, I just saw your post ... that is a wonderful testimony! We will believe with you that this is the year Lord willing that you get it down, with all the details, on paper. May the Author and Finisher of your faith use it, and you, mightily!!
Thank you Stacey for your post about how your pastor encouraged you to consider making declarations rather than resolutions. That way of perceiving them seems so much more positive, and brings to mind the power of positive thinking that suggests that we can make things happen!
Hello B.G.O.ers:
Today is Testimony Thursday (January 15, 2009), and I've been trying to figure out how to give a praise report instead of an actual testimony. The label here is for Talk Tuesday, so this is definitely way out in left field! I just want to thank everyone who might have prayed for the troubles my mother, grandmother, and I were going through before Christmas regarding her having to resign herself to going into a nursing home. Although we all went through a tough and tense time this Christmas, Grandma is now happily residing in a home close to my uncle, and closer to us! Everyone in the family is now greatly relieved, and we got the best Christmas we could possibly have asked for!Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Dawn
Post a Comment