Don't Lose Your First Love

When the apostle John was an old man in exile on Patmos, the church was made up of second and third generation Christians. Christ still hadn’t come back. Some of the wonder and newness had worn off. And Jesus knew this would happen.

In Matthew 24:12, He said, “The love of many shall grow cold.” And it was to the church of Ephesus where John had lived and preached a long time that Christ says in Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have something against you, because you have left your first love.”

When you love someone you want to know everything about them. You want to spend time with them: please them. You are excited by the very thought of them.

But later, sometimes, you might go through a period where you're a little bored with them. Or too busy to pay them much attention.

It’s the same in individual Christian lives. We’ll have mountain top experiences and we’ll have long dry patches. Sometimes Christian living gets tedious. We find ourselves not wanting to be holy and set apart anymore. We just want to blend in with the rest of the world.

As Christians we are given a new ethical demand: a new standard of moral purity, a new sexual ethic, a new kindness, a new service, a new forgiveness… and it’s difficult. Then when we lose that first thrill and enthusiasm, it’s harder and harder to stand against the world. Especially today in an America that idolizes material things and celebrities.

Memories help spark a fading love. Remembering your husband’s face when he proposed, the look in his eyes when you walked down the aisle or when you told him he was going to be a father. Remembering how God loved us so much He sent His only Son: perfect, sweet, sinless Jesus, to die a terrible death for us so we could spend eternity with him in Heaven.

It helps to spend time with that person. Not the rushing around, catching each other on the fly, leaving interrupted sentences hanging in the air, but uninterrupted, quiet time learning more about this person you love. Thinking about your future together and thanking Him for being a part of your future!

Live a life worth of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle: be patient, bearing one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-3