Forsaken your first love

[Christ's Free Servant]

KEITH!!

Great to hear from you again!

Thank you! I haven't been on the computer at all for about two months. Not even for my writing. My life has pretty much taken a sharp turn. I get up early, have time with the Lord, go to work, come home and either have time with the Lord or go to my volunteer work. I can't seem to get enough time with Him.

Keith,

Me, too!! My times with the Lord have greatly increased, not just in time spent, but in quality. The Lord is teaching me much about my relationship with him, which I'll share a little bit of as an example of the difference between a "religion" and "good works" and a relationship that is a love relationship with Jesus Christ. The Lord often wakes me up with a song, and sometimes he puts more in my head during the day, as one way that he speaks to me during the day. He also speaks to me through his word, so I'm going to give a summary of what he said to me this morning through two songs (both sung by Mercy Me) and II Co. 5:11-6:something. Here is my summary:

1) God put me here for a reason

2) He has a mission for me

3) How can I further his kingdom when I'm so wrapped up in mine?

4) Until Christ's return, I'll embrace every moment I'm given

5) There's a reason I'm alive

6) If I give the very best of me, that becomes my legacy

7) What am I waiting for?

8) I have not been called to the wisdom of this world

9) I've been called to a God who's calling out to me

10) Even though the world may think I'm losing touch with reality

11) It would be crazy to choose this world over eternity

12) If I boast, let me boast in filthy rags made clean

13) As I live this daily life, I trust the Lord for everything

14) I will only take a step when I feel God leading me

15) If I am out of my mind, it is for the sake of God

16) If I am in my right mind, it is for your sake (believers)

17) Christ's love compels me... I am convinced that Christ died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again

18) I am an ambassador of Christ, as though God is making his appeal through me

19) I urge people not to receive God's grace in vain, i.e., to not live for themselves

20) NOW is the time of God's favor. NOW is the day of salvation.

I concluded with: "O Lord, thank you for these words of encouragement, counsel, direction, purpose, etc. Let them sink into my heart today as I continually long to worship you with my entire being and to be used of you to urge people to no longer live for themselves in bondage to this world's philosophies, but to live in freedom for God and God alone. Amen, and Amen!"

[Christ's Free Servant]

Nebula,

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Do you remember when you were dating your spouse? You wanted to talk with that person in the morning, the afternoon, and late at night even in to the wee hours of the morning. You wanted to know everything about him, what he liked, what he liked about you, what he thought about, his goals, his ideas, etc. And, you could not wait until the next time you had the chance to talk with him. Perhaps you even wrote him notes or sent him cards or did special things for him just to show how much you loved him, and probably you did things for him that you knew he wanted - things you knew would please him. You wanted to be with him more than anything.

Well, that's the kind of relationship that Jesus wants to have with us. Many of us were excited about Jesus when we first came to know him, but as time went by perhaps our excitement diminished, and other things began to crowd out our time with him. Over time he got pushed into a corner where he is barely even noticed, except maybe on Sundays or religious holidays. Perhaps we go through the motions and do all the right things, but our heart is not there anymore. He is not the most important person in our lives like he once was. Our prayers consist of "requests" and an ocassional "thank you," but we really have lost the joy of sitting at his feet and just listening to his voice.

Jesus does not want what we can do for him. He wants us. He wants our time, our talents, our thoughts, etc. all to be completely surrendered to him. He wants us to want to please him - to obey what he tells us to do, not just do things for him in hopes that he will be pleased. Remember the story of Jacob and Esau and how Jacob had the right sacrifice but Esau did not? Well, I think it was those two - you know the one was a sacrifice of meat and the other of fruits & veggies, I think. There was nothing wrong with the fruits and veggies sacrifice/offering, except it was not what God wanted. He wants us to find out what he wants and to do what he wants, but so many times it is easier for us to just do "good things" for him, because then we remain in control.

Basically, Jesus wants us to fall in love with him. He wants to be like that boyfriend or girlfriend. Oh, how I love the story of Mary sitting at Jesus feet listening to him talk and teach and how she, on another ocassion, washed his feet with her tears, perfume and hair and how she kissed his feet. She knew what it meant to truly be in love with the Savior.

When Jesus is our first love, he gets first consideration in all things. We will not see our QT as something we have to "do," but rather we will long to talk with him and to hear his voice just as much as we longed to talk with our boyfriend when we were dating the one we loved. He will become our everything! Soon we'll hear him talking to us all the time throughout the day and we will truly sense his presence with us always. There is a reason he refers to the Church as his bride. He does not want the honeymoon to end.

[Openly Curious]

great discussion Nebula

oc

[wordsower]

Nebula,

Remember when you were first saved and you had zeal for God and searched the scriptures and couldn't wait to go to church and read your bible? Well, when that leaves and you can't fit God into your busy schedule you have lost your first love.

[Floatingaxe]

I believe this church at Ephesus, which was a great church, had been so intimate with the Lord Jesus Christ, but in their greatness, lost their intimacy with Him. The churches of today which develop this are few and far between, sad to say. In Ephesus, there became form, religion, but dwindled in it's fervor and zeal and consecration...maybe it got too big for it's britches.

Devotion and intimacy with Jesus is such an important part of our walk with Him, and this passage makes that very, very clear, doesn't it?

[Adarian]

60 grit......Hahahahahahahaha. That's funny, pretty rough.

On first love-the question has been well answered.

[Floatingaxe]

I believe this church at Ephesus, which was a great church, had been so intimate with the Lord Jesus Christ, but in their greatness, lost their intimacy with Him. The churches of today which develop this are few and far between, sad to say. In Ephesus, there became form, religion, but dwindled in it's fervor and zeal and consecration...maybe it got too big for it's britches.

Devotion and intimacy with Jesus is such an important part of our walk with Him, and this passage makes that very, very clear, doesn't it?

HI!!!!!! AXEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good to see you on boards....(leave any thin skin in chatroom-this place at times gets as low as 60 grit rated pg 13 even lol) Love micen2

Hey micen!

The only thin skin is mine right now! See ya soon, after my banning is lifted! LOL

[tah]

Nebula,

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Do you remember when you were dating your spouse? You wanted to talk with that person in the morning, the afternoon, and late at night even in to the wee hours of the morning. You wanted to know everything about him, what he liked, what he liked about you, what he thought about, his goals, his ideas, etc. And, you could not wait until the next time you had the chance to talk with him. Perhaps you even wrote him notes or sent him cards or did special things for him just to show how much you loved him, and probably you did things for him that you knew he wanted - things you knew would please him. You wanted to be with him more than anything.

Well, that's the kind of relationship that Jesus wants to have with us. Many of us were excited about Jesus when we first came to know him, but as time went by perhaps our excitement diminished, and other things began to crowd out our time with him. Over time he got pushed into a corner where he is barely even noticed, except maybe on Sundays or religious holidays. Perhaps we go through the motions and do all the right things, but our heart is not there anymore. He is not the most important person in our lives like he once was. Our prayers consist of "requests" and an ocassional "thank you," but we really have lost the joy of sitting at his feet and just listening to his voice.

Jesus does not want what we can do for him. He wants us. He wants our time, our talents, our thoughts, etc. all to be completely surrendered to him. He wants us to want to please him - to obey what he tells us to do, not just do things for him in hopes that he will be pleased. Remember the story of Jacob and Esau and how Jacob had the right sacrifice but Esau did not? Well, I think it was those two - you know the one was a sacrifice of meat and the other of fruits & veggies, I think. There was nothing wrong with the fruits and veggies sacrifice/offering, except it was not what God wanted. He wants us to find out what he wants and to do what he wants, but so many times it is easier for us to just do "good things" for him, because then we remain in control.

Basically, Jesus wants us to fall in love with him. He wants to be like that boyfriend or girlfriend. Oh, how I love the story of Mary sitting at Jesus feet listening to him talk and teach and how she, on another ocassion, washed his feet with her tears, perfume and hair and how she kissed his feet. She knew what it meant to truly be in love with the Savior.

When Jesus is our first love, he gets first consideration in all things. We will not see our QT as something we have to "do," but rather we will long to talk with him and to hear his voice just as much as we longed to talk with our boyfriend when we were dating the one we loved. He will become our everything! Soon we'll hear him talking to us all the time throughout the day and we will truly sense his presence with us always. There is a reason he refers to the Church as his bride. He does not want the honeymoon to end.

..that is how I feel about it...

Thanks Sue for the good post..

[Guest JEBrady]

To me, it just means you no longer follow Jesus fully. Still go to church, tithe, live morally, whatever, but at some point made a decision not to do God's will, either something in the Word or something in your conscience, and now you have an idol before God. It may only manifest in one seemingly small thing, but it cuts you off from going any further in God. All that's left is old manna- what you learned when you were following God fully. Now Jesus is no longer number one in all the things of your life.

This is why some have been in the pew for decades and no longer grow. They somewhere called their own shot, and never found the place of repentance. Tragic.

Edited July 12, 2006 by JEBrady

[Christ's Free Servant]

Thanks Sue for the good post..

You are welcome, but you know I did not come up with that by myself. The Lord has worked hard on me over the years to draw me into that kind of relationship with him. So, he gets most of the credit.