Day 9

Hold on to your first love to Jesus

This is the Word of Jesus to the Church in Ephesus: "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance... Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." (Revelation 2:1-7)

Surely we do not want to be a church that left our first love to the God we serve. But how do we continually hold on to our first love to Jesus?

#1 stay intimate with God

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14). Everyone has a different heart; only God knows what fits our hearts best. When Moses went to Mount Horeb, God appeared to him in burning bush and called him out to lead the Israelites (Exodus 3). When Elijah went to the same Mount Horeb, God appeared to Him in a gentle whisper and resent the depressed prophet (1 Kings 19:11-18). When Lazarus was dead, Martha came to Jesus and gets a lecture. Mary came to Jesus and get tears (John 11:17-33). What do these tell us? everyone needs a different aspect of God in different season. He knows us best. That is why it is important stay intimate with God and pray for a heart that continually love Him.

#2 keep His Word close to our hearts

If you love me, keep my commands (John 14:15). My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me (John 10:27). When we talk about an encounter with God, we often talk about the next miracles, big things God is doing in our life and ministry. That is great, but His Word is still the priority. Consider the story Jesus told about a rich man in hell conversing with Abraham (Luke 16:19-31): the rich man in hell begged Abraham to send a dead man back to life to the family of the rich man who was still alive so that the family will repent and do not end up in hell just as the rich man. What was Abraham reply? "If they do not listen to the Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:31). What does it mean for us? The Old Testament was referred to as the "Moses and the Prophets" in Jesus' time; today we have the entire Bible: the Old and the New Testament. What is our heart attitude when we read the Bible? Do we treat it as the voice of God speaking to us? Do we meditate on what we read in the Bible and apply it in our life as our obedience to God?

This Christmas, let's reflect on our hearts towards Jesus. The Bible said "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Indeed, our Saviour loved us so much that He would die for us so our relationship with God can be restored. So let's hold on to our first love to Him!