Return to Your First Love
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.
Model Church on the Outside
The Ephesian church was an active church. They were doing the work of the ministry, battling off the false apostles and Nicolaitans, and staying with it when they got weary. It was a model church, except for one thing. They had stopped maintaining the relationship with Jesus. The work and the cause had become more important than maintaining their most important thing, their love for Jesus. When we neglect our love for Jesus, we soon drift spiritually. That was Jesus’ accusation against them. Can it stick to us?
Beware of Spiritual Drift
The first place we should look when our faith grows cold and dry is our love for Jesus. It is an easy mistake to make. We get busy with life, and some important project or crisis takes center stage, and we stop going to our source of life. Before we know it, we are going through the motions spiritually. We show up to church, but we’re not really into it, and our minds wander during the sermon to all of the things we need to do. Stress prevents sleep, so we lie awake at night worrying about things beyond our control, and then we are too tired to do our Bible reading and prayer in the morning. Before we know it, we have pulled back from everything to do with God and are trying to do it on our own.
Return to Your First Love
If you find yourself in this situation, how do you find your way back? Let me offer you some encouragement. You can turn back at any time, and Jesus will be there to meet you. Jesus said He will never leave nor forsake you, so that means when we drift off, He goes with us. He doesn’t expect us to jump through hoops to get back. It just takes us repenting of our sins and going back to the works that stoked our love for Jesus when we first got saved.
Seek Jesus First
When Jesus talks about returning to our first love, it means making Him our top priority. Matt 6:33 says to, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.” We have to make our relationship with Him the most important thing. This means giving it the time and attention necessary to maintain and grow in our faith. As a Christian, if you have drifted from the Lord recognize where you have ended up and seek Jesus.
The Infinite God Who Wants To Be Known
'Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.' - Psalm 145:3
There's something both humbling and encouraging about our relationship with God. As finite beings, we will never fully comprehend an infinite God. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways beyond our understanding. Yet here's what's remarkable: this great, unknowable God actually wants us to know Him. He doesn't hide behind His infinite nature or use it as a barrier. Instead, He invites us into a relationship. Every day, you have the opportunity to discover something new about God's character. Through His Word, through prayer, through the circumstances of life, He reveals Himself to you. You don't need a theology degree or a perfect understanding to know God personally. He meets you where you are and gradually unveils more of Himself as you seek Him. The journey of knowing God isn't about reaching a destination where you finally 'get it all.' It's about the daily adventure of discovering the depths of His love, wisdom, and faithfulness. Each revelation draws you closer to His heart.
Quote of the Day
We will never fully know God. It's impossible. Why? Because he's an infinite being and we are finite beings. But here's the great thing about it. Even though he is this great God and He's so infinite and he's fully unknowable, but yet he wants us to know Him.
Reflection Question
What aspect of God's character do you most want to understand better, and how might you pursue knowing Him more deeply in that area?
The God Who Needs Nothing, Yet Chooses You
‘The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.’ – Acts 17:24-25
Have you ever wondered why God created you? It wasn’t because He was lonely or incomplete. God is perfectly content and fulfilled in Himself. He doesn’t need our worship, our service, or even our love to be complete. Yet here’s the beautiful paradox: this independent God chooses to give us incredible value and significance. Think about that for a moment. The Creator of the universe, who lacks nothing, deliberately chose to create you and give your life meaning. This isn’t about filling a void in God’s life—it’s about His generous heart wanting to share His goodness with you. When you feel insignificant or question your worth, remember that your value doesn’t come from what you do or achieve. It comes from the deliberate choice of an all-sufficient God who decided you were worth creating and loving. This truth can anchor your identity in something unshakeable: not your performance, but God’s sovereign choice to value you.
Quote of the Day
He is independent. He chooses to give us value and significance.
Reflection Question
How does knowing that God chose to create and value you—not out of need, but out of love—change how you see your worth and purpose?
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Redeemed from Your Transgressions
Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
You have been redeemed from your transgressions. That means someone paid the price for your sins. Transgression is likened to trespassing. You have gone somewhere you weren’t supposed to and did something you shouldn’t have. There is a price to pay for that transgression, and Jesus paid it for you. That’s what redeemed means—paid in full. Your debt of sin has been fully paid and you have been forgiven.
Hebrews 9 tells us that without the shedding of blood, there would be no forgiveness of sin. Jesus went to the cross and shed His blood for you and me. That made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. In the Old Testament, they would sacrifice lambs and bulls, but those were a mere shadow of the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus dying on the cross. The blood of animals could never remove sins. Only Jesus’ blood can.
You can be set free from the guilt and shame that hangs over you. 1 John 1:9 says that if you confess your sins, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive them. Don’t walk around feeling condemned. Feel the freedom of being forgiven.
You are Promised an Inheritance
Hebrews 9:15-17 Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
You are promised an inheritance. I know I discussed this in yesterday’s devotion, but it deserves two posts. You have been given an eternal inheritance. That means it never runs out of resources or out of time. If you get an inheritance from a relative, it has a specific value. It doesn’t get replenished, and you can’t take it with you when you die. When Jesus died on the cross, the will of God was enacted, and we were made right before God by Jesus’ righteousness. You are spiritually rich and you may not realize it.
Full Family Benefits
Hebrews 9:15 Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
You get full family benefits when you follow Jesus. You are grafted into the family of God (Rom 11), Adopted as Sons and Daughters, and receive a full inheritance. You didn’t do anything to deserve this. It is a contract God made with you while you were still a sinner. Part of that inheritance includes being redeemed for your sins and spending eternity with God Almighty. You can’t ask for more than that, but there is so much more available to you. You are filled with the Holy Spirit, peace and joy are available in abundance, and the Love of Jesus is poured into your heart. (Rom 5:1-5) Walk in the confidence of a child who has just inherited a reward that is eternal.