“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
Revelation 2: 4–5 (KJV)
“You don’t love me anymore!” These words are sometimes spoken as a pleading question, and at other times as an accusation. We say these words to someone we love, or to someone who we thought loved us. Such words usually come from a place of disappointment or hurt as we notice either the subtle or very obvious change in the way we are being treated.
Have you ever thought of the fact that God can tell or ask those same words? Remember the joy of your first love? Remember how you got all sweaty as the fire of the Holy Ghost warmed your being? And somehow you couldn’t stop your lips from smiling when you thought of His goodness and His love for you? Remember how you once shouted with exhilaration as you sensed His Presence? God remembers too. He remembers when we placed Him first; when as soon as we awoke we called on Him with a grateful heart. Now, we do it grudgingly, if at all. We are too busy getting ready for the job He blessed us with.
God remembers how we spoke with Him throughout the day, telling Him about all our joys, pains, disappointments, hurts, and triumphs. We thanked Him for the positives and sought His help to overcome the negatives. Now we just give a perfunctory, “Thank You, Lord!”. We grumble and complain to anyone who will listen about the adverse situations.
God remembers when we first loved Him and how we trusted Him to provide for us. Now we have become beggars, and takers to others when we are aware that He is our Jehovah Jireh. Our loving Father remembers when we needed comfort, healing, and strength, it was to His Holy Spirit we would go. Now, we seek our healing and deliverance through occult involvement and in the arms of fellow man, or substances that can lead us straight to hell.
Today, let us take a few minutes to listen and hear if God is asking, “Don’t you love me anymore? Can you sense His pain and disappointment? If so, let’s run back into those loving, forgiving arms like the prodigal son, and feel them wrap us in His love once again.
Lets us Pray
Heavenly Father, we can never love You as You love us, for Your love surpasses time and all boundaries. Your love tells us a story of eternity, but we have allowed sin to separate us. Today we repent, and turn back to You, knowing that You are a merciful God. We promise never to walk away from You again. Seal us by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.
Read: 1 John 4: 15-19; Romans 8: 35-39; Revelation 2:1-5
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 101; I Corinthians 14:20-40; 2 Chronicles 13; 2 Chronicles 14; 2 Chronicles 15
