first love

I am so inlove. I am getting married soon and am so excited to spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. I always want to be with him, whether it be… hanging out, talking, running, sitting on the couch being lazy, riding in the car, being active, out to dinner, cooking dinner, taking a stroll, watching sports or just sitting in silence. [I love being around him].

I would not be as close to him if i had not spent so much time with him. I would not desire more time with him if i did not know him so well. I absolutely love this man.

It makes me think though of my relationship with Jesus. The Creator, My Savior, My Deliverer, My Shelter, My Strength…My Everything—-> if i allow Him to be. How much time you spend with Jesus shows how much you value your relationship with Him.

Revelation 2:4 “But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].” (AMP)

Why is it so much easier to forsake our first true love – Jesus- above anything else here on earth?

Jesus should be our very first love and out of our love for him flows the love we have for other people. So many times we place idols in our lives that take place of the love we have for Jesus…whether that be… people, tv, music, food, money, ourselves, and so on. Now, all these things are not bad things, its when you place them above the love that you have for your Savior…thats when they become idols. Sometimes the blessings the Lord gives us can become idols. But when you make the Lord the ultimate desire of your heart – you are free from the danger of idolatry.

So how can we change from having idols to loving God first and foremost?

Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

When we are totally transformed from idol worshipers to God worshipers we are new creations- living the way that the Lord has desired us to live all a long- we become who He created us to be. He transforms our mind…the way we think which leads to the way we act. We acknowledge that He is bigger and more powerful and that He loves us more than any idol ever could come close to. God sent His one and only Son to take upon our sin and die for us and was raised up the 3rd day so that we could live free lives from sin- so we would not be in bondage to sin any longer. Christ sets us free from death and spending eternity away from Him. And He sets us free here on earth so we can live the lives that mirror his- being a holy sacrifice for Him- loving Him so much that we put everything else aside to be wit Him.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (NLT)

Keep your eyes on Jesus. That is how we can strip away the sins/idols that entangle us without feeling we have lost something. We have to let go to gain something more valuable than what we are holding onto. We cannot hold onto God and something else at the same time. It’s an all or nothing deal.. and sometimes its scary because you haven’t lived without that “thing” you can’t let go of– but that is why we are called to keep our eyes on Jesus…because when we do we won’t even remember the value of the other thing because he is much more precious and powerful and fulfilling than anything else can be. Trust Him and let go. He has always been faithful to fulfill His promises…why wouldn’t he with you?

Let’s be a people who “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

Lets not forget who our first love is. Our first love is Jesus. Lets not put anything in his place. Let go and Let God. Let’s have Him satisfy us. Lets desire Him above all. REALLY, above all. Lets be so inlove with our Savior that we always want to spend time with Him, Always want to be with Him, Always want to live in Him.

CHANGe. DESIRe. LOVe. ABOVe…ALL.

this thing called love

.love.

This morning alone I found out that a handful of my “facebook friends” got engaged. my initial reaction was forreal? more people? really? then i became a little happy for them. haha. Then I’m a girl so I go… I want to be loved…..

….Then God whispered in my ear… you ARE loved.

My Child ~

You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring ~ Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation ~ Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother’s womb ~ Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born ~ Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me ~ John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand ~ James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41 And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4
And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Daddy, Almighty God

We are reminded that we are loved…but how often do we forget our first love?

Revelation 2:4 ”Nevertheless I have this against you,that you have left your first love.”

God has loves us so much…and it is so evident. We once had that same love for Him when we first heard of it. . . over time. . . has it worn off? Come back to your first love.  Before we can love someone else we have to be fully in love with our First Love…

“‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind” (Luke 10:27)

…then through that love we show love to others.

“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!” 1 John 4:7-12

remember you ARE loved by your Creator. nothing can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35-39) And He loves you so much that He sent His Son for you that you may live a free life in Him. Love God back. Show Him that you love Him by obeying what He is calling you to do. Love others with His love.

just…LOVE.