This is the final instalment of our series, 'Remember Your First Love.' It all started back with Revelation 2:1-7, the church of Ephesus. The Holy Spirit gently chided me on the condition of my passion for GOD with the words, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent,” Revelation 2:4-5. During the second week, we examined the passion of a first love-what it was like to fall in love. We also looked at some of the things that diminish the flames of passion and concluded with Scripture that called the church the 'Bride' of Christ. Now, let us ask ourselves, 'What do we need to be ready for His return?'
In His discourse on 'The Good Samaritan', Jesus was questioned. “25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he said, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 26 He said to him, 'What is written in the law? What do you read there?' 27 He answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' 28 And he said to him, 'You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live,'” Luke 10:25-28.
Do you notice the order of love? We are to love GOD first, and with the entirety of our being. Only then, secondly, are we to love our neighbours as ourselves. Perhaps it is only in truly loving GOD that we can truly love others. I will conclude with the scripture that started this whole series. The end of Revelation 2:1-7 states, “7 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.” It is time for the church to AWAKEN to the call of the One who died for us that we might live in the Passion of Our First Love!
We hope you enjoyed this series. Please take a moment to comment on how we can fan the flames of our first love. Let us encourage one another, share our ideas and spur each other on to good works in Christ. Please go to www.biblegrouponline.com, click on the comments link and add your ideas. If you are on Facebook, please go to our Facebook page www.facebook.com/BibleGroupOnline and comment there. Blessings!
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Talk Tuesday-Remember Your First Love (Series): Pt. II
The title for the series, 'Remember Your First Love,' came from the depths of my own journey with the LORD. Last week, I shared about my road to salvation and what it looked like when I made that personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ. When I first 'got saved' there was such an unyielding passion to honour God in what I read, how I dressed, what I did, what I said, what I thought and how I spent my time. Do you remember the Apostle Paul? When he had his 'Damascus Road conversion' (read Acts chapter 9), he eventually declared, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me,” Galatians 2:20. Well...that basically sums it up for the rest of us who follow Christ. We no longer live for ourselves, but for the One who saved us.
So, what led to the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart from Revelation 2:1-7 those times that He did? Busyness, distraction and complacency. I mean, when I began to read Revelation 2, I started feeling...well...good about myself, “...you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary,” Revelation 2:3. Then I read verse 4, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Huh? Wasn't I part of various ministries serving God's people inside and outside of the church? Didn't I read my Bible daily? Yet, the truth is that the embers of my passion had truly dimmed. I wasn't rushing home to spend quiet time with the Lord. I wasn't taking up my guitar as often as I used to so that I could sing songs of praise and worship to the One who gave me abundant life. I had become careless in what I read, did, said, thought and how I spent my time.
Have any of you ever fell in love? Do you remember what it was like at first? You couldn't stop thinking about the person, talking about them, wanting to spend time with them...until you either got married or broke up. If you got married, then chances are you started taking them, and the relationship, for granted. Or, then kids came along, life happened, and busyness just crowded into your one on one time. If you broke up...well...you know the rest! I mean, what keeps a marriage interesting, fresh and exciting? Spending time with that person, loving on them in meaningful ways and keeping those fires burning! It is the same with the LORD.
Do you know what the Bible calls the church? The Bride of Christ! After his conversion, the Apostle Paul, who began ministering to the various churches, said to the church in Corinth, "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ," 2 Corinthians 11:2. Revelation 19:7-10 says, “'7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.' 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, 'Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!''And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God.'”
So, let us ask ourselves this question. Do we still have the passion of our first love?
So, what led to the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart from Revelation 2:1-7 those times that He did? Busyness, distraction and complacency. I mean, when I began to read Revelation 2, I started feeling...well...good about myself, “...you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary,” Revelation 2:3. Then I read verse 4, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Huh? Wasn't I part of various ministries serving God's people inside and outside of the church? Didn't I read my Bible daily? Yet, the truth is that the embers of my passion had truly dimmed. I wasn't rushing home to spend quiet time with the Lord. I wasn't taking up my guitar as often as I used to so that I could sing songs of praise and worship to the One who gave me abundant life. I had become careless in what I read, did, said, thought and how I spent my time.
Have any of you ever fell in love? Do you remember what it was like at first? You couldn't stop thinking about the person, talking about them, wanting to spend time with them...until you either got married or broke up. If you got married, then chances are you started taking them, and the relationship, for granted. Or, then kids came along, life happened, and busyness just crowded into your one on one time. If you broke up...well...you know the rest! I mean, what keeps a marriage interesting, fresh and exciting? Spending time with that person, loving on them in meaningful ways and keeping those fires burning! It is the same with the LORD.
Do you know what the Bible calls the church? The Bride of Christ! After his conversion, the Apostle Paul, who began ministering to the various churches, said to the church in Corinth, "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ," 2 Corinthians 11:2. Revelation 19:7-10 says, “'7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.' 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, 'Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!''And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God.'”
So, let us ask ourselves this question. Do we still have the passion of our first love?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Talk Tuesday- The Flame of First Love
"Though you have not seen him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9
I remember when I first became a committed Christian, I said a simple prayer of submission and acknowledgement. I asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart, surrendered the reigns of control to Him, acknowledging the power of His death and resurrection over my life. It was a glorious, glorious time! I said the simplest prayer, at the side of my bed, all alone in the darkness of my bedroom in June 1996. The next day, I woke up to a fountain of living water welling up inside of me, bubbling over. I finally had a peace and purpose that extended far beyond my selfish limitations. That Jesus would die for a sinner like me, and grant me such awesome joy, was truly overwhelming! Everywhere I went, I desired to share this free gift with others. I was 24 yrs. old when this all took place.
As the years rolled by, life began to crowd my fervour. I never lost it, but at times it ebbed and peaked. Five years later, I was engaged to be married to a godly and wonderful man. I was happily going about my preparations when the Word of the Lord jumped out from the pages of the Bible, stirring my heart in places I didn't know needed reawakening.
"...you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen: repent and do the first works..." Revelations 2:4
What was your experience like when you first came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour? Have you ever received the wake up call before? Have you ever become so engrossed in your own plans that you began to neglect your first love? Apathy is subtle and unsettling. As I was admonished by the Holy Spirit, I began to think of the things I did at first. Do you remember what the passion of your first love looked like? Does it look the same today? 2011 is a year I would like to see the Flame of My First Love be fanned into a blazing into a light for His glory. Share your thoughts and experiences with us, by clicking on the comments link below.
I remember when I first became a committed Christian, I said a simple prayer of submission and acknowledgement. I asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart, surrendered the reigns of control to Him, acknowledging the power of His death and resurrection over my life. It was a glorious, glorious time! I said the simplest prayer, at the side of my bed, all alone in the darkness of my bedroom in June 1996. The next day, I woke up to a fountain of living water welling up inside of me, bubbling over. I finally had a peace and purpose that extended far beyond my selfish limitations. That Jesus would die for a sinner like me, and grant me such awesome joy, was truly overwhelming! Everywhere I went, I desired to share this free gift with others. I was 24 yrs. old when this all took place.
As the years rolled by, life began to crowd my fervour. I never lost it, but at times it ebbed and peaked. Five years later, I was engaged to be married to a godly and wonderful man. I was happily going about my preparations when the Word of the Lord jumped out from the pages of the Bible, stirring my heart in places I didn't know needed reawakening.
"...you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen: repent and do the first works..." Revelations 2:4
What was your experience like when you first came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour? Have you ever received the wake up call before? Have you ever become so engrossed in your own plans that you began to neglect your first love? Apathy is subtle and unsettling. As I was admonished by the Holy Spirit, I began to think of the things I did at first. Do you remember what the passion of your first love looked like? Does it look the same today? 2011 is a year I would like to see the Flame of My First Love be fanned into a blazing into a light for His glory. Share your thoughts and experiences with us, by clicking on the comments link below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)