Never forget your first love
The cure for restoring all things: maintaining love toward God à one another
- Rev 2:1-4 Ephesus: you have left your first love …A marital term: first = most important
- A marriage will fail when any other relationships become more important that the marital one:
- Other family; work; hobbies; friendships; ministry;
- Priorities are reflected by what we actually do with our time and resources, not what we intend to do.
John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
The summary of all the commandments:
Matthew 22:37-40 And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
- How do we lose our first love? – only by having replacements.
- We are wired to need love and to give love. We will find a way to do both.
VIDEO
Q: What are some other lovers/ replacements for God?
The opposite of love is not hate – it is indifference
3:16 Laodecia: you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold
- apathy … “this is good enough” – comfortable and predictable life.
- A one-way marriage — You are meeting all my needs! Therefore, all is well.
How do we get back our first love? Same as we do in a marriage
- Start building it with demonstrations of love.
Q: How does GOD like to be loved?
Restoring love: Ephesians 3:14-21
COMMUNION: John 14:1-4
…the best part of the card…
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