IT’S TIME TO COME BACK TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

“It’s time.”  The gentle whisper my soul has been hearing lately. Life is so incredibly unpredictable. It’s so overwhelmingly busy, always. Those two things will never change. Life around us is in fact always going to be busy, and unpredictable.

We are restless beings. Always striving, working, earning, planning, predicting, guessing, assuming, and dare I say it, worrying. I’m not sure there is anything I can write to you, or say to convince myself to simply let all those things go, because it’s not human nature to just rest, and trust. To us, It’s actually not simple at all. We’ve been hurt too many times to just let go, and trust. We feel safe when we feel in control, right?

I’m going to ask the hard questions, and I’m not just asking you…. I’m asking myself too.

What is your first love? Is it God? Is it your spouse? Is it sports? Or shopping? Possibly fitness and food? Your kids? Career? Social media? Or maybe it’s something you would absolutely be ashamed of admitting, like alcohol, drugs, sex, or pornography? Maybe you don’t know what your first love is, because you’ve never asked yourself. And that’s ok. None of us get this right every single day. In fact most of us dont. The point isn’t to make anyone feel like they are failing or falling short, it’s to get you thinking. Before you decide, let me ask a few questions I’d like you to really honestly consider. What dictates everything else in your life? What do you think about the most? What do you plan your life around? What do you chose over church? What do you give your time first to? Is there anything you have to have, or do that takes the place of studying scripture every day? Is there something you turn to in order to escape when life gets challenging? What has power to control you? Is there something you cannot function without?

If you answered those questions, and any answer was something other than God, then you may have an idol, or multiple idols in your life that have taken the place of the Lord as your first love. I know people will argue this. We have grace don’t we? We’re human and we can’t possibly live up to all that. I agree. In no way do I chose God first daily. But I need to. And you do too.

Now, after asking and pondering some questions, to gauge where exactly you’re heart is at, let’s look at what scripture is saying about this.

Prior to this verse God is saying I know and see your works, your patience and your perseverance. However, he is trying to make a point. While he’s sees all those great things, at the end of the day if he isn’t your first love and above everything else, none of it matters.

We can back that up with more scripture.

Again, here Paul is saying if we don’t have our priorities in order, if we can’t be a reflection and source of the love of Christ to everyone around us then it’s all just a waste.  In order to walk it out daily, We must first love God.

What are you escaping to, to turn life around you off? I think most of us chose social media. Some of us go for Netflix, blogs, sports or the gym. The younger generation of boys tends to “check out” with video games. [[Personal opinion, take this with a grain of salt]] I think a little escaping mentally from the chaos and craziness of life is okay. The problem is when we do it in place of escaping to the arms of the Father.

That gentle whisper my soul so desperately needed to hear. “It’s time.” As I responded to this whisper, I hesitate, because I’m not sure I have what it takes to give up the things I’ve allowed to gain rank above him. Reluctantly, I respond (already knowing the answer to my question) “time for what Father?” He instantly responds “It’s time for you to come back to your first love.”

It’s interesting to me, we fall off the course. We sway back and forth, and go to the left when we are called to the right. We slowly begin to neglect the ones closest to us. They drop down on the priority list, and eventually the wedge between those people, and ourselves grows and grows. This seems overwhelming, re prioritizing every part of our lives. I’ve got to put God first, my husband back up to second place where he belongs, our son and the rest of the my family, and so on…. but here’s the thing, you prioritize God as number one and without even trying, everything falls into the place it should be. All it takes is surrendering to God and allowing him to take His rightful place in our lives, and he takes the rest of it and places it all where it all belongs.

So today, I challenge you to turn off your defenses as you ponder these questions. Maybe even go back and read them again. I challenge you to recognize when pride is saying “this isn’t for you.” Come back…. your first love is waiting for you. His arms are open wide, ready to take His place in your life and bless you beyond measure.

KC