Tag Archives: return to your first love

September 11, 2024 · 5:58 AM

Return To The Basics

I met with a person who was going through one life changing event after another and they were beginning to overlap. As they talked I began to express empathy for their struggles knowing full well the thoughts and feelings they were going through. After sharing everything, they looked me straight in the eye and asked, “What are some practical things I need to be doing to climb out of this hole.” My mind immediately remembered a quote from Zig Ziglar that says, “If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.” I asked about their spiritual disciplines and encouraged them to get their spiritual house in order first. A week after committing to be consistent with their spiritual disciplines, they called and began to share some of the changes they had seen and some blessings they had received. Returning to the basics created changes in their life and gave God margin to move in their life.

In the book of Ruth, Naomi and her family went through one life altering event after another. Famine chased them from their home and into a foreign land. Her husband died and then so did both of her sons. She knew she needed to get back to where God’s blessing was so she asked her daughters in law to stay. One, Ruth, decided to go with her. The people were excited to see her, but she asked them to call her “Bitter” because of how my life has been going. However, once she got back, it was harvest time and God began to care for them and even open doors for a lifetime of blessings. Ruth found her way into the field of Boaz who would later redeem her, marry her and give Naomi a grandchild. God’s blessings returned once she returned.

In Revelation 2, Jesus is addressing the Church at Ephesus. He recognized that they were going through a hard time. Then in verse 4-5 He said, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (ESV). Jesus was calling them back to their first love and to do the basic disciplines they did at first. We can all get busy and distracted doing things for Jesus. We can also let life throw us out of our rhythm of serving Him because we’re just trying to keep our head above water, yet He calls us to return to spiritual disciplines. I’ve found that I’ve had to move things in my schedule, break away from certain relationships and create margin in my schedule in order to return to the basics. Once I did, I opened the door to God’s blessings and my love for Him was renewed. What are the basics He’s calling you to return to?

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Loving God For Real

Several years ago I read a book called “Primal” by Mark Batterson and it wrecked me. It was based on Deuteronomy 6:5 that says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]” (AMP). It’s a verse we all know that Jesus said was the greatest commandment. Think about that. Everything in the Bible, all the wisdom, all the lessons, all the do’s and don’t’s are below what this commandment says. The most important thing we can do with our lives is to love God with our entire being.

In the book he described how loving the Lord with all your heart is about having a heart filled with compassion for the things God is compassionate about. Loving Him with all your mind is about having a holy curiosity to know who God is. Loving Him with your soul is to love Him with a sense of wonder and awe that once wowed you about Him. Finally, loving Him with your strength is about being energized to do things for Him because He excites you. As I read those, it hit me, I wasn’t loving God in all four areas. I was good in some and just ok in others. That wasn’t ok with me.

God didn’t command us to love Him in one or two of these ways. We must love Him in all four. The call to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2, goes out to us. We must return to our first love. We must reignite the passion we once had. God is calling us to step out of the complacency of our relationship with Him so we can serve and love Him with everything in us. If we’re going to change this world, it starts with you and getting our relationship with God right first. Search over this verse today and ask God to show you what areas you’re missing the mark in. After you repent like I did, start doing something about it. We all have room to grow and get our love for God firing on all four cylinders.

Photo by Sam Rana.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.