Let Me Tell You About My First Love

"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 will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Revelation 2:4-5, KJV)

There was a time when my heart was consumed with the things of God. Every thought, every desire, was centered on Christ Jesus, my first love. But life has a way of pulling us in different directions. Satan uses the distractions of this world, and before we realize it, our focus shifts.

Yet, the Word of God gives us a clear command:

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:2-3, KJV)

Jesus is and always should be our first love. He is the One who redeemed us through The Finished Work of The Cross. It was at Calvary that He demonstrated His love, shedding His blood so that we could be reconciled to God.

Paul tells us in Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 

His love was not given to us because we were worthy; it was given to us despite our unworthiness. It was on The Cross that love was fully revealed—a love so deep that Christ took our punishment so we could be set free.

And yet, how often do we let the cares of this life dull that love? The enemy seeks to shift our minds from the eternal to the temporary, from Christ to the things of this world.

The greatest example of love is found in John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, KJV)

His love was so great that He gave His only begotten Son to be sacrificed on a cruel cross for a sin that was not His. That is a great love that compels me to stay close to Him. God did not want us to perish in our sin. His love was so great that He sacrificed His only begotten Son, giving us a way to be redeemed back to Him.

As 2 Corinthians 5:21 reminds us, 'For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' If God could love us in our brokenness, in our failures, in our sin, how much more should we love others in spite of their shortcomings?

This is what Paul urges in Romans 12:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1, KJV)

To love as Christ loved is not a burden, it is a privilege. We do not lay down our lives because we have to; we do it because love compels us. Just as Christ gave Himself for us, we are called to surrender ourselves fully to Him, to be a living sacrifice, to love without condition, to forgive without hesitation, and to serve without expecting anything in return.

When our focus is on earthly things, our struggles, worries, and desires we lose sight of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. This is why the Lord warns us to remember where we have fallen from and to repent. Returning to our first love means shifting our focus back to Christ. It means setting our minds on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, rather than being consumed by the temporary things of this world.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1, KJV)

At The Cross, our love story began with Jesus. It is there that He demonstrated His love for us, and it is there that we must continually return and walk in the way of the cross, daily. Once we’ve come to The Cross, we don’t walk away; we stay there, taking up our cross daily to follow after Jesus as He tells us in Luke 9:23,

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

If Satan has come to distract you with anything other than The Finished Work of The Cross, and your love has grown cold, if the fire that once burned in your heart has dimmed, remember to repent quickly, as Revelation 2:16 warns that if we do not repent, the opportunity for repentance may be gone, and we will face the consequences. Then those who refuse to repent will face Jesus as their judge and not their Savior.

Revelation 2:16: "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."

Just know that there’s no greater love that anyone can give. Remember what 1 John 4:19 says: “We love him, because he first loved us.”

There is someone who truly loves you, and He stretched His arms as far as the East is from the West, laying His life down so that you may live. There is no greater love than this.

Even Jesus Himself said:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, KJV)

He has never stopped loving you. The call to return is not one of condemnation but of grace. He is calling you back to Himself, back to the place where your heart was fully His.

This is why I consider Jesus the Love of all loves, the one true love that no human being can come close to. No earthly relationship, no fleeting emotion, no possession can ever compare to the love that was demonstrated on The Cross. His love is perfect, unfailing, and eternal.

Again remember "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19, KJV)

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1, KJV)

Set your mind on things above. Let nothing else take His place. Christ is calling—will you answer?

A Prayer for Those Who Are Struggling and for Those Who Want to Receive Christ

Heavenly Father, I come before You in the name of Jesus, thanking You for Your love and mercy. Lord, I lift up those who have drifted away, those who have left their first love, and those who are struggling to return. You are calling them back, reminding them that their life is hidden in Christ, and I pray that their hearts be softened to hear Your voice.

Father, for those who do not yet know You, I ask that You open their eyes, that they may see the love You poured out for them at Calvary. Let them see that true life, true peace, and true love are only found in Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the gift of life to all who believe in Him. May they come to know Him as their Savior, and may their hearts be filled with the same love You have shown to me.

I pray that they will be encouraged, knowing that You are always ready to welcome them, forgive them, and walk with them as they learn to love You, making You their God, and walking in every way that is pleasing to You, in righteousness.

I thank You, Lord, for Your boundless love, for Your grace, and for Your constant presence. I thank You for all of these things and for hearing my prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you are reading this and you have never surrendered your life to Christ, know that He is calling you.

The Bible says, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23, KJV) This means turning away from sin, from self, and coming fully to Christ, trusting in His Finished Work on The Cross.

If there is anyone that doesn’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, pray this prayer from your heart, having faith without doubting....

Lord Jesus, I come to You today, knowing that I have sinned and fallen short. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day. I repent of my sins and ask You to cleanse me. I surrender my life to You, be my Lord, be my Savior.

Teach me to follow You, to deny myself, and to take up my cross daily. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may walk in the newness of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have prayed this and truly believe, know that you are now a child of God, and the Holy Spirit has come to live inside you, who will help you and teach you to walk in righteousness and will only point you back to The Finished Work of The Cross. 

Keep your heart set on Christ, stay in His Word, and seek Him daily. Follow Him in faith, and be faithful to Him, for He has been faithful to you. Your first love, Jesus Christ, will never fail you.

This is your true love, a love above all loves, the love that gave His life for you at Calvary.