Do you remember what it was like when you were first in love? I can remember the feeling of butterflies in my stomach, the excitement of thinking about them, looking forward to spending time with them, doing special things for them, and talking to the person I loved. I couldn’t wait to talk or be with them!
That is what God wants in our relationship with Him. He desires to spend time with us and us with Him by worshiping, praying, and reading His Word. But God not only loves us, but He is good and has good things for us (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28).
Love isn’t just a feeling but a choice. God the Father showed His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins to reconcile us to Himself and live through Him (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). Jesus reconciled us and made peace with the Father through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:19-20).
Love fulfills the law or the commandments (Matthew 22:36 – 40; Romans 13:10). Jesus told us the answer about how to love God in John 14:15; “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” We are to love God and walk in love. We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19). Love puts Him first and obeys what He says to do.
We must guard against being distracted by the things of the world that would lead us astray from His presence and love. We are to come out from the world and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). We must not allow and go back to the things we used to do before Christ that do not glorify Him or things He has told us to let go of. He does not want us to remain or go back into bondage from the enemy.
We are called to holiness and to grow in holiness. (1 Peter 1:16). To be holy means to be set apart or separated unto. Idols need to be removed. The church needs cleansing as well as our own lives. Jesus is preparing us to be His glorious bride without spot or blemish (Revelation 19:7-9; Ephesians 5:25-32). We must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and allow His power to be revealed in and through us. We are the body of Jesus Christ on the earth and are called to release His kingdom wherever we go. Jesus warns us against leaving our first love for Him (Revelation 2:4-5).
When we lose sight of His love and commandments by going our own way, we experience negative consequences. He gives us any commandments to keep us safe in His love. Remember how He wanted to walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to fellowship with them until their disobedience changed their relationship and they experienced separation from Him (Genesis 2:8-3:24). So likewise, our Heavenly Father experiences the pain of love when we walk away from Him and don’t dwell or abide in Him, receiving His love. However, His heart has not changed. That is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to restore our relationship with Him. He doesn’t want to keep good things from us but give us eternal and abundant life (John 3:16; 10:10). Therefore, we must have a correct perspective on who God is so that we can love and trust Him.
God’s heart is yearning for you! He wants a deeper love walk with you. If you have been away from Him, turn your heart back to Him! God wants the restoration of your relationship and to manifest His love! So, ask His forgiveness and repent for anyplace in your life you have turned from your first love of Him. Then, ask the Holy Spirit what you need to do to restore intimacy in your relationship with the Father and obey what He tells you to do. Our love for Him grows as we spend time in His presence through worship, prayer, and meditating on the Word of God and by putting Him first! Then, when you have a revelation of God’s love, you can’t help but love Him and share His love with others!
