First love...

I remember when I first looked into my honey's blue eyes. I could NOT believe that I had landed such a good-looking fish!! We talked for hours late at night and watched funny shows together, laughing and enjoying each other. We looked at each other all the time--we caught each other's gaze. We listened and cared.

In Revelations 2:4-5, the Lord says to the church in Ephesus, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."

Nowadays, it is SO easy to get married and even easier to get a divorce. There is little expectation and often even less commitment. I watch shows on TV where the concept of marriage is almost an afterthought to the wedding event and once the "first love" feelings begin to wear off, the end looms near for the marriage as well. In our relationship with our spouses and more importantly with our God we must take action to nurture our "FIRST LOVE"attitude!

Step 1: DON'T FORSAKE
Notice the Scripture above doesn't say don't lose your first love--no it says do not forsake! To forsake, you must take a willful action. You have a choice! Choose not to leave, abandon or change from your commitment. Choose not to release or turn or weaken in your resolve to LOVE. Hold on!

Step 2: REMEMBER
Command your thoughts to focus on the blessings that this love-commitment have ushered in. Remember where you would be but for the grace of God. Take charge of your thoughts! Do not let them take charge of you! In 2 Corinthians, the author had this to say about thoughts: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demoslish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Our thoughts can cause our love to grow cold and apathetic. On the contrary, godly thoughts can keep us fervent and passionate in our love.

Step 3: REPENT AND DO
It is not too late! Today is the day to make the change! Repent! Turn around! Go the other direction! Take stock of your love relationship TODAY. Are you doing the things that you did at first? Spending time? Listening, caring, enjoying? If your passion has grown cold, if you no longer have that "first love" attitude, start right now. Become a seeker---strive to become an "expert" on your loved one's likes, dislikes, wants and needs. Work at it! Do the things for your loved one that you did at first and then I challenge you to go above and beyond that and think up some new stuff!

And above all else, dear one: Remember your very FIRST LOVE. Jesus. Fall in love with Him all over again. He loves you and gave up His life for a love relationship with you.