Remember Your First Love

When I was a young teen I liked being in the choir. My first choir director in middle school was fun, stern and loving. She would challenge me do things I never expected myself to do. I remember the first time she told me to sing a solo. I told her, “no one wants to hear me sing.” I went to high school dedicated in the choir but this choir director would take us to churches to sing. I would get chills when we sang not knowing the presence of the Spirit. I stayed in choir year after year getting chills never knowing His presence but I loved it.

I would look around at my peers wondering, “Do they feel what I feel?” I would say, “I am cold” and they would laugh saying, “it is hot.” The day came that the choir director would appoint me to sing a solo and again thinking to myself “no one wants to hear me.”

I sang Till We Meet Again and a rush of chills consumed my body at the age of 17, still not knowing His presence. I thought, I can’t do this, I can’t even control myself. I went to college singing, still not knowing His presence. As an adult after many years of being removed from singing, I attempted to join the choir and tears flowed as a river. I knew His presence and I welcomed it but still couldn’t control my emotions.

Reminiscing on my first love reminded me of Jesus telling the church, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love,” Revelations 2:4.

A church, like people can love something more than Christ. The church can love the building more than it loves Jesus; its history and traditions more than it loves Jesus; its worship songs more than it loves Jesus; its programs and missions more than it loves Jesus; the fellowship or love of the lost more than it loves Jesus.

Consider why the church was created. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13-14: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Consider why humans were created. Isaiah 43:6-7 says “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

So the purpose for all God’s creation is for the fulfilling of His glory, is it not? Jesus tells the church rendering your first love will channel your focus on results rather than the Messiah. Focusing on the program and not the Precious Lamb will put us in danger.

But focusing on Christ, our first love takes care of how great the program does, how effective the mission will be. When we are engulfed with our first love, we can’t help but talk on and on about our love. Worshiping fuels the mission. You can’t brag on and praise God if you neglect the first love of Christ.

When I worship the Father I am reflecting on the glory of God, valuing Christ above all things. My first love with Christ was through music. He touched me like no other before and continues to use music to minister to my heart, to touch me, feel me, move mountains, cast out fear by me opening my mouth blessing and praising His name.

My first love helped me in my lowest point, when I didn’t have anyone to understand me, when I didn’t have anyone else to talk to, when I thought I lost my mind, on my face in a pool of tears, the redeemer, the restorer, the reviver came in my heart rescued me when I had no one else feeling lost and empty. I would sing out Jesus, Jesus and he gave me sanity, He kept me safe and continues to revive me.

What is your first love? When did you first hear His voice, feel His presence, tremble at His touch? Maybe you have gone astray? Became faint in your worship? Possibly you focused on the things you have, focus on the places you go or don’t get to go. Perhaps you became consumed with being in a church that has everything you want except the presence of God?

Remember what worship is, acting and thinking in a way that reflects the glory of God. When we let go of our first love it says in Revelations 2:5 that the lampstand will be removed. There will no longer be light shining, just acting without glorifying God.

What are you promoting? What are your eyes fixed on this morning, this day, these weeks and month to come? Are you sharing the love of God with others or sharing your problems? Are you showing how deep God’s love is or how deep in debt you are? Have you lost your first love? Have you stop going to the church that helps you grow in your faith?

Consider not abandoning your first love. Ask God to forgive you for letting Him go. Call upon God to forgive you for satisfying temptations and not satisfying Him. Pray to God to keep you strong in your faith, to keep you active in going to church, going to Bible study, going to be taught the Word. For “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God,” Revelation 2:7.