Revelation 2:4 You have abandoned the love you had at first. \u00a0Remember from where you have fallen. Repent! and do the works you did at first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First love\u2026 How did you act when you were first \u201cin love?\u201d \u00a0We can do crazy things. \u00a0No one has to tell us, \u201cyou really should do\u2026 if you want him\/her to know that you love him\/her.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0There is no thought for \u201cthese are the 10 things (commandments) I have to do in order to please this person and show him\/her that I love them.\u201d \u00a0When we are \u201cin love\u201d we just WANT TO do everything we can to please and make that person happy.
In Rev 2:3-4 God says of the church in Ephesus, you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name\u2019s sake, and have not grown weary\u2026 but you have abandoned the love you had at first. \u00a0
We can understand \u201clove\u201d when we talk about it in the context of human relationships. \u00a0But, for some reason when it comes to our relationship with God, when we talk about obedience, we see obedience as something we do, or something that we are told to do, in order to earn God\u2019s love. \u00a0But, that is not why God gives us his commands to obey. \u00a0Because he loves us, he provides for us in every way. \u00a0He orchestrates the events in our lives for our good and for the honor and glory of His name. \u00a0Our obedience should be out of gratitude and utter trust that He loves us.
I love what God says to Israel in Deut 4:34-40 \u201cHas any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation\u2026 by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord did for you in Egypt, BEFORE YOUR EYES. He did that for you, that you might know that the Lord is God, there is no other besides him.
\u201cOut of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. On earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them (that\u2019s you) and brought them out of Egypt with his own presence and his great power\u2026 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Therefore you shall keep his statues and his commandments\u2026 that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land. \u201c
I think one of the reason God tells this story so many times throughout scripture is to illustrate that God loves us just as much and longs for us to know he has gone to the same lengths to show his love to us!
Paul quotes these very words in Eph 6:1-3, in his instruction children to obey their parents. \u00a0He petitions children to obey their parents, not because children need to earn their parents love. \u00a0Children are to obey their parents so that life will go well with them, and in order to preserve their life. \u00a0How does obedience help life to go well and prolong the life of a child? \u00a0Well, if a child does not obey mom and dad when they say, \u201cStop, don\u2019t run out in front of that car..\u201d \u00a0Their life will be cut short! \u00a0It\u2019s the same principle with us! \u00a0God\u2019s \u201crules\u201d are there for our safety and they are there BECAUSE God loves us!
If we can just learn to have the perspective David had when he wrote the words of Psalm 86:8-13; \u201cThere is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. You are great, and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks with my whole heart and I glorify your name. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. ..you are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.\u201d
God\u2019s challenge to the church in Ephesus is a great challenge to us. \u00a0Rev 2:5 God says, \u201cRemember from where you have fallen.\u201d \u00a0Remember the days when you first got saved. \u00a0Just like the early days of dating. \u00a0You were so in love. You were so excited about what you were learning about God and God\u2019s love for you! \u00a0Remember that? \u00a0Remember what that was like? \u00a0\u201cRepent! \u00a0and do the works you did at first.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God loves me so much that He gave up His own Son for me! I should be forever grateful and want to do everything I can to love him in return<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Revelation 2:4 You have abandoned the love you had at first. \u00a0Remember from where you have fallen. Repent! and do the works you did at first.\u201d\u00a0 Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 4 Isaiah 31 Psalm 84 Revelation 2 Devotional Thoughts: First love\u2026 How did you act when you were first \u201cin love?\u201d \u00a0We can do crazy things. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[130596],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1292","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-declarations-of-truth","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}