FIRST LOVE

Have we ever asked ourselves, “If I am getting the job done, does it really matter WHY I do it?” That may sound like a simple question with most of the things we do in our daily lives, but does that mean it applies to everything we do. If our actions and interactions with those we care about are driven by responsibility or obligation rather than by the "why" behind them, it makes a world of difference in building that relationship.

The church in Ephesus seemed to be doing all the right things for God. They spoke the right words, did the right actions, and did the right work, yet Jesus warned them that they had left their first love. This doesn't mean the work they were doing was wrong, but if it isn't done for the right reasons, it can become empty deeds without a relational purpose.

All that Jesus endured for each one of us was done from the place of LOVE! He endured the cross, our sins, and physical death because He loves us. The Father sent Him so we have a way to spend eternity in His presence, because He loves us! The Holy Spirit strengthens us and dwells within us because He loves us!

When we understand that our love for God and our desire to follow Him, serve Him, and live for Him comes from a place of our love of being in relationship with Him, then it will become the reason why we do what He has called us to do.

We should not just do tasks that align with the Bible, or feel that it is a sense of obligation that drives us to be Christians. The purpose for what we do needs to come from a deep, profound, and relational love for God… just as His love is the reason we can call Him Father!