“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first or else I am coming to remove your lampstand out of its place-unless your repent.”  

Revelation 2:4-5 HCSB

I want you to think about someone you truly love. I bet your mind went to someone that you are currently in a close relationship with, but now I want you to think of someone that you love dearly but with whom you hardly ever communicate or see. Think about someone with whom you once had a close relationship, but even though you still love them dearly you are not as close as you once were.

We all have these relationships where we genuinely care about the other person but for various reasons we don’t maintain a close relationship with them.

Now take a moment to think about your relationship with your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, or significant other. If you have been in a relationship with them for a while, chances are your relationship looks a little different than it did at the beginning. Do you love them less than you did before or have you just gotten a point where you take the relationship for granted? You know that person is there for you, so you need not put any real effort into the relationship. As human beings that tends to be how we all operate.

We put our best foot forward and pull out all the stops when we are trying to impress that person. We go the extra mile to make them happy. But, then as time goes on and we get “comfortable” in our relationship we lose that zeal. We lose that passion that we had. We get lazy and complacent.

The same thing can happen with a job. We can get a job that we truly love, like police work. But then the mundane day to day things and the computer work make the job more like just a job and we lose that zeal for it. The worst thing that can happen to a police officer is becoming complacent, this puts them in a dangerous position.

As Christians, complacency is dangerous for us as well. We must strive to maintain that zeal that we had when we first accepted Christ’ call to salvation. Remember that time, you were eager to confess your sin and get it off your chest and turn it over to God. You were eager to be washed clean by His blood and be given His righteousness. Your faith was strong. You had a deep love for the LORD and wanted to do your best to please Him. But then you settled in and got comfortable, you got complacent.

The problem with this is that God never wanted or wants our half-hearted love or our left over time and attention. He wants us to eagerly pursue Him. He wants us to seek Him with our whole heart. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with your whole heart.” Matthew 6:33 tells us to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all that we need will be provided to us.  In 2 Chronicles 15:2 the prophet Azariah warns King Asa by telling him and all of Judah and Benjamin that the LORD is with them when they are with the LORD. He goes on to tell them that if they seek Him, the LORD will let them find Him, but if they forsake Him that the LORD will forsake them.

No one wants to be in a relationship with someone who is just going through the motions. We all long for that deep, longing, thirsting and hungering kind of love. We want to know that we are loved and needed. God is no different. He wants to know that He has first place in your life. He doesn’t want to be an afterthought after a long day. He wants the first and best that you have to offer. And my friend, I have found that I truly can’t out give God. When I give Him the best I have, He reciprocates and takes really good care of me.

I urge you to enter into a close, loving, deep, hungering and thirsting love with your Lord and Savior. If you have had that kind of relationship with Him and become complacent, it’s not too late. Turn to Him and confess your sin and repent. He is ready and willing to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. He loves you with all His heart and He only asks that you do the same for Him.

So, what are you waiting for? Taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8). Love Him with all you’ve got!

Have a great day!