There is nothing like your first love! I don’t mean your first crush or even finding your soulmate. I’m referring to the moment you were first introduced to real, perfect love – God’s love! He loved us so much that He sent His Son to “rescue us from the domain of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. Through the blood of Jesus, we have redemption and forgiveness of our sins.”
We have a craving in our soul for this unconditional, unending love, and we seek to find it in our relationships, but even the best human examples fall short. We are unable to fully love and forgive ourselves and others without God’s perfect love that He pours “into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”
God’s perfect love is “patient and kind; does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude; It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” His “Love never ends!” God’s perfect love is eternal, and as we become “rooted and grounded in this love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” He strengthens us “with power through His Spirit in our inner being… so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith… filling us with all the fullness of God.”
It is through this perfect love that we experience “Eternal Life – to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent!” We begin to experience the joys of His many blessings through His guidance, comfort and mercy as we walk with Him in this world. We must hold tight to the hope of heaven and not lose sight of our first love, for it fuels our joy and gives us strength to finish the race on earth.
Are you feeling heartsick for your eternal home and weary under the burdens of today? Ask the Lord to “restore the joy of your salvation” and “return to your first love.” Go back to the moment when you first met Jesus and knew you were a sinner in need of a Savior. Remember the love you felt burning in your heart the moment you understood and believed that He died for YOU, an undeserving sinner, all because He wanted to bring you into His Kingdom of Light. Do you remember the gratefulness and relief you felt the moment you accepted His forgiveness and the burden of your sin was washed away?
This Thanksgiving, go back and remember your first love – let it fill you with joy and hope overflowing as you remember all He has done for you! With a grateful heart, give Him the praise that is due Him!
*1 John 4:18; John 3:16; Colossians 1:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Ephesians 3:14-19; John 17:3; Psalm 28:7; Psalm 51:12-13; Revelation 2:1-7
Mandisa – My First Love (Lyric Video) ft. Jeremy Camp: https://youtu.be/qCaHlkVigks
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