“ONE COMPLAINT”
YOU PERFORM THE DUTIES TOWARD YOUR “FIRST LOVE” WHEN YOUR HEART HAS LONG AGO LEFT OR DEPARTED FROM HIM
“…I HAVE SOMEWHAT AGAINST THEE…[YOU HAVE]…LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE…”
(REVELATION 2:4 KJV).
*
Why does God SAY that his people have LEFT
or DEPARTED from their FIRST LOVE? God is your FIRST LOVE. “….HE FIRST LOVED US…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “…not that we loved God, but
that he loved us
and SENT
HIS SON to be the propitiation for our
sins.” (1
John 4:10 KJV). “…[God] … SPARED NOT his own Son, but DELIVERED him up FOR US ALL…” (Romans 8:32 KJV). “…God SHOWED HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US by “SENDING” Christ to die for
us WHILE we
were still sinners…” (Romans
5:7-9 NLT). “… the just for the unjust,
that he might BRING US to God…” (1
Peter 3:18 KJV). “…There is no GREATER LOVE than to lay
down one’s life…” (John 15:13 NLT).
God is your FIRST LOVE. Some of “… [YOU HAVE]…LEFT (or departed from) YOUR
FIRST LOVE…”
(REVELATION 2:4). This is “NOT” about you departing from YOUR LOVE for
him, but it is about YOU departing from HIS LOVE for you.
“…Take
heed, brethren, lest there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God”
(Hebrews 3:12 KJV). “…The Lord said to Moses, “How long will
these people treat me with contempt (disrespect)? How long will they refuse to believe (DEPEND
UPON) in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among
them?” (Daniel 14:11 NIV).
It is important to know there is a
difference between serving God, your FIRST LOVE, out of devotion and serving
him like a dutiful slave to an unaffectionate MASTER.
When what you do for God is done out of devotion,
free choice, and voluntarism; LOVE empowers it. When what you do for God turns
into burden, obligation, and requirement; DUTY empowers it.
Devotion says “I do it because I want to” and duty says “I do it because I have to.” Somewhere along the way the
relationship with God turned into a religious obligation and like a slave you
do the duty that is expected of you.
The commitment to the covenant
relationship with God is long-term and requires TOTAL dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit to sustain one’s
devotion to him. “…It is [ONLY]… God which worketh in [me]… both to
will and to do of his
good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).
CHOOSE to depend upon the indwelling Holy Spirit to EMPOWER or HELP you. “And this is the
confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according
to his will, he heareth us…” (1 John 5:14 KJV). “…You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do
it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything
in my name, and I will do it...” (John 14:12-14 NLT). “…[You]…can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
[YOU]….” (Philippians 4:13 KJV).
Dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit is CRUCIAL. “…
Apart from [Jesus, You]…can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV). ONLY
“…By the grace of God I am what I am…” (1
Corinthians 15:10 NIV).
Giving your life up sacrificial to another
was meant to be an act of love. If it was NOT an act of love, but done out of some
kind of social or personal expectation or social or personal obligation it will
eventually turn into an act of duty.
Maintaining unconditional love, with God
and with other human relationships, is impossible even when you DO give up your
life sacrificially to another as a willful and voluntary act of love. “…If I bestow all my goods to
feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing…”
(1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ASV).
God EMPOWERS you to maintain, the
long-term, act of unconditional love for him and for others. “…God which worketh in [you]… both to
will and to do of his
good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). “…That he would grant [you]… according to the
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…”
(Ephesians 3:16 KJV). “…May the God of peace, … that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his
will, and may he work in us
(the spiritual BOND of LOVE) what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).
It is impossible to maintain unconditional
love, in the FLESH, which is God’s kind of love, because the challenges of life
and being devoted to other humans ravish, devour, and consume our thoughts,
emotions, and hearts until our ability to love them is depleted. “… Apart from [Jesus,
You]…can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV). ONLY “…The
things which are impossible with men … POSSIBLE [with God]…” (Luke 18:27 KJV). “…I am
the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing
too hard for me?”
(Jeremiah 32:27 KJV). “…By the grace of
God I am what I am…” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV).
“…love is patient, [God’s]…love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [God’s]…love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres… [God’s]…love
never fails” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NIV).“…We
love,
because HE FIRST LOVED US…” (1
John 4:19 ASV). “…I can do (LOVE)
all things through Christ which strengtheneth [me]….”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV).
Instead of depending upon the indwelling Holy Spirit many of God’s
people began to strive, struggle, fight, in our own human effort, to maintain
some form of unconditional love. “…we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves; but our sufficiency is
of God…” (2 Corinthians 3:5 KJV).
Without dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit, your form of
unconditional love turns into DUTY. “…He answered and said unto them, Well hath
Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites,
as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me”
(Mark 7:6 KJV). “…for thy heart
is not right in the sight of God…” (Acts 8:21 KJV).
DUTY often brings with it: regret,
sadness, judgment of the ones we say we love, criticism of the ones we are
obligated to, envy of others blessings, slave mentality, loss hope of change,
and an endless, joyless burden of responsibility.
When your form of unconditional love has
turned into duty it is also, in reality, a form of self-righteousness. “… Jesus told this story to
some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone
else: “Two men
went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised
tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed
this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters,
sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I
give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and
dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest
in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not
the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted…” (Luke 18:9-14 NLT).
Self-righteousness comes from the pride
one’s takes in their acts of religious duties. “…So I
say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. …” (Galatians 5 NLT).
“…So letting your sinful nature CONTROL YOUR MIND leads to death. But letting the Spirit CONTROL YOUR MIND leads to
life and peace. For the sinful nature is always
hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are
still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you
are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if
you have the Spirit of God living in you…”
(Romans 8:6-9 NLT).
The self-righteous take their acts of
religious duties and mistake themselves as being morally superior over others
who do practice devotion to God in such limited ways. . “…The Pharisee stood by himself
and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters,
sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income …those who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves will be exalted…”
(Luke 18:9-14 NLT).
The self-righteous duplicate themselves
and NOT Jesus Christ. “...Be … imitators
of [Jesus]…”
(Hebrews
12:14; Ephesians 5:1 ASV). “… growing in every way more and more like
Christ…” (Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT). “…In this world we are like Jesus…” (1
John 4:17 NIV).
The devoted person may do some of the same
acts as a duty-bound person does, but the difference is one depends upon the indwelling Holy Spirit and the other
depends upon their own efforts. “…How FOOLISH can you be? After starting your new lives in the
Spirit, why are
you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”
(Galatians 3:3 NLT).
The devoted person willfully and
voluntarily CHOOSES to depend upon the
indwelling Holy Spirit. The duty-bound person, like a victim or martyr,
depends upon their OWN efforts.
The devoted person is empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to maintain
unconditional love in their relationship with God and the relationships with others.
“…I
do nothing of myself…”
(John 8:28 KJV). “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works…”
(John 14:10 KJV). “….Apart
from [the indwelling Holy Spirit] you can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV).
The duty-bound person is empowered by their
OWN efforts to maintain a form of unconditional love in their relationship with
God and their relationships with others. “…The branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so
neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are
the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing…”
(John 15:4-6 NASB).
The devoted person continues to grow in
the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through the indwelling POWER of the Holy Spirit. “…That great Shepherd of the
sheep, EQUIP you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ…” (Hebrews
13:20-21 NIV).
The duty-bound person ceases to grow in
the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus because they think their OWN
self-righteous efforts have taken them to some religious pinnacle above all
others. “… ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other
people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that
tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I
give you a tenth of my income …”
(Luke 18:9-14 NLT). “…We know that “We all possess knowledge.”
But KNOWLEDGE
PUFFS UP while love builds up…” (1
Corinthians 8:1 NIV). “…He that abideth in me, and I in him … bringeth forth much fruit…”
(John 15:5 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…”
(John 4:24 KJV). “…the Spirit
of God dwell[s]… in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV).
“…The Holy Spirit (not human flesh) produces ….”
(Galatians 5 NLT).
The self-righteous ways of the duty-bound
person SEEM right, but they can lead to death. “…There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of DEATH...” (Proverbs
14:20 KJV).
The self-righteous ways of the duty-bound
SEEM loving, but without being EMPOWERED by the
indwelling Holy Spirit of love, it is meaningless. “If I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am
become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of
prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so
as to remove mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I
give my body to be burned, but have not
love, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ASV).
The self-righteous ways of a duty-bound
person is an indication they have LEFT or departed from their FIRST LOVE. “… I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work
and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have
examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have
discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. “But
I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!
Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at
first. If you don’t repent,
I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches…”
(Revelation 2:2-5 NLT).
God knows the heart of the self-righteous
duty-bound person. “...God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD
looks at the heart…”(1 Samuel 16:7 NASB). God zooms in on the “…hidden man of the heart…” (1 Peter 3:4 KJV). God knows it is
“…from
within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts… wickedness…All these
evil things come from within, and defile a person.”
(Mark 7:21-23 KJV).
The heart and ALL that
it contains “…is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked…who can know it [except God?]…” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV). “…I HAVE SOMEWHAT AGAINST THEE…[YOU HAVE]…LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE…”
(REVELATION 2:4 KJV).
God is your forever FIRST LOVE and he
NEVER changes the intensity of his LOVE for you. “…I
am the Lord, I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV). “Jesus Christ is the same …. Forever…”
(Hebrews 13:8 NIV). He has “….loved [you]...with an everlasting love….”
(Jeremiah 31:3 KJV). “…God is
love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). “…There is no greater LOVE …” (John 15:13 NLT).
“….HE
FIRST LOVED US…” (1
John 4:19 ASV). God is your FIRST LOVE and his FIRST LOVE
attitude towards you NEVER changes, no matter what happens. “…I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV).
You are EMPOWERED to
love him in return because of his FIRST LOVE for you.
“…WE
LOVE, BECAUSE he
first loved us…” (1
John 4:19 ASV). “…It is God which worketh IN YOU …” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).
You are ENABLED to LOVE God in return
because he SUPPLIES you with “THAT” love. “…My God will supply all your [need]…” (Philippians
4:19 NASB). “…God’s love has been poured
out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us…” (Romans 5:5 NIV). “…WE GIVE you only what you
first gave us! …” (1 Chronicles
29:14 NLT). “…WE LOVE, because he
first
loved
us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).
“…That great Shepherd of the
sheep, EQUIP (enable) you with
everything good [Love]… for doing his will,
and may he work in us (Love) what is
pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ…”
(Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…God is love…” (1 John 4:4-8 KJV).
God’s indwelling Holy Spirit supplies you
with the LOVE that empowers you to serve him or lay down your life for you,
with confidence, that you will ALWAYS be the OBJECT of his eternal, unchanging
FIRST LOVE. “… [Nothing]…will be
able to separate [you]… from
the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord…” (Romans 8:31-39 NASB). “… I lay down my life...
No
one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. …” (John 10:17-18 KJV). “…WE LOVE … [God], because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).
You serve your FIRST LOVE because you are
assured of his continual, unending, unchanging, “IN” love attitude towards you.
1. He chooses
to love you. "You did not choose me but I chose you…” (John 15:16 ASV). 2. He doesn’t EVER require that you try to be some
version of perfect or try to earn his love, be worthy of it, or deserving of
it. His GRACE is enough. “…God is able
to make all GRACE abound toward
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things…” (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV). 3. He doesn’t MANIPULATE
or DEMAND anything from you. His LOVE is “NOT” EVER selfish. GOD’S “…Love is … not self-seeking … It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres, Love never fails…” (1
Corinthians 13: 4-8 NIV). 4. Your positive or negative treatment of him doesn’t change the
intensity of his love for you. “…Yet
for years on end my people have FORGOTten
ME…” (Jeremiah 2:32 NLT). Yet, “… [Nothing] …will be able to separate [you]… from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord…”
(Romans 8:31-39 NASB). 5. There is nothing you can do to EVER change his love for you. “…I
change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV). 6. The FIRST LOVE attitude for you endures
throughout the entire relationship. “… [God has]… loved [you]...with
an everlasting love….” (Jeremiah 31:3 KJV). “…I AM
WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end…"(Matthew
28:20 NIV). “…Behold,
I am with … [you]
and will keep … [you] whithersoever [you]… goest…I will not leave [you] ..." (Genesis 28:15 ASV). 7. His FIRST LOVE
attitude is totally sustained by HIM. “Jesus Christ is the
same …. Forever…”
(Hebrews 13:8 NIV).“…HE WHICH HATH
“BEGUN” A GOOD “WORK” IN you [FIRST LOVE]… “WILL” “PERFORM” IT “UNTIL”
…” (Philippians 1:6 KJV).
God’s FIRST LOVE attitude towards you is UNCONDITIONAL. “…The Lord said to Moses, “How long will
these people treat me (Their FIRST LOVE) with contempt (disrespect)?”
(Daniel 14:11 NIV). “…My people would not listen to me
(Their FIRST LOVE). They kept doing whatever they
wanted, following the stubborn desires
of their evil hearts (own agendas)…” (Jeremiah 7:24 NLT). However,
“… [Nothing] … will be able to separate [them]… from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord…”
(Romans 8:31-39 NASB). “…My GRACE is sufficient for the[m]...” (2
Corinthians 12:9 KJV).
God’s FIRST LOVE
attitude towards you EMPOWERS you to LOVE LIKE Jesus. “…WE
LOVE, because
he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “…In this
world … [they] … are LIKE JESUS…” (1 John 4:17 NIV). HOW? “… [God’s people]…can
do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth [them]…”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV). “… It is God who worketh in [them] … both to
will and to do of His good pleasure”
(Philippians 2:13 KJV). “….as I have loved you… love
one another ….” (John 13:34 ASV).
God’s FIRST LOVE
attitude towards you is expressed through the indwelling Holy Spirit who does
the WORK of LOVE “IN” and “THROUGH” you. “…God GIVES US many kinds of special abilities, but it is the … HOLY SPIRIT
who is the SOURCE of them all. …it is …God who does the work IN
and THROUGH all of us who
are his.
The HOLY SPIRIT
DISPLAYS God’s power THROUGH each of
us …
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). “…the Father that dwelleth in [YOU] … he doeth the works…”
(John 14:10 KJV).
Because of God’s FIRST LOVE attitude
towards you HE is
always “IN” love with you. “… [Nothing]
… will be able to separate [you]… from the [first]…love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord…”
(Romans 8:31-39 NASB). “…I am the Lord, I change NOT…”
(Malachi 3:6 KJV). “Jesus Christ is the
same
yesterday and today and forever”
(Hebrews 13:8 NIV). “…he remains faithful…” (2
Timothy 2:13 NLT).
He is “IN” love with his people even when they fall out of harmony with
him, abandon him, LEAVE him, or forget about him altogether. “…for years on end my people have FORGOTten ME…”
(Jeremiah 2:32 NLT). Yet, “…he remains
faithful…” (2
Timothy 2:13 NLT).
The human “IN” love attitude toward
another is an experience that is mostly physical and emotional. “… [My]… thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…..as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and
my thoughts than your thoughts…” (Isaiah 55:8-9 ASV).
God’s FIRST LOVE attitude toward humanity is
an “IN” LOVE experience that is ALL spiritual. “…God is
love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…”
(John 4:24 KJV). “…The fruit of the
Spirit
is … LOVE …”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).
God’s “IN” love
expression of his FIRST LOVE attitude toward you is NOT determined by HOW you
make him FEEL, but by how HE LOVES YOU.“… Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us...” (1
John 4:10 KJV).
God’s FIRST LOVE toward
you was not a religious DUTY, but a heartfelt CHOICE that NEVER loses its
original FERVER! “…I am the Lord, I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV).
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”
(Hebrews 13:8 NIV). “…he remains faithful…” (2
Timothy 2:13 NLT).
God’s FIRST LOVE and
“IN” LOVE attitude toward you is the WHOLE undertone or foundation of true love
that is ultimately SPIRITUAL LOVE. “…God is
love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…”
(John 4:24 KJV).
God’s SPIRITUAL LOVE is not dependent on
emotional or physical demands. God’s SPIRITUAL LOVE is not composed of religiosity
or habit, or robotic duties.
God’s SPIRITUAL LOVE is an unending,
unchanging “IN” love response to the objects of his LOVE. “…I
change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV). “…he remains
faithful…” (2
Timothy 2:13 NLT).
God’s sets the standard for being “IN”
love by EMPOWERING his people, through
the indwelling Holy Spirit, to experience His SPIRITUAL LOVE intimately. “…God’s love has been poured out into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us…” (Romans 5:5 NIV).
He works, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the POWER of His Spiritual love
“IN” and “THROUGH” you. “…it
is the … HOLY
SPIRIT who is the SOURCE of [it] all. …the same God who does the work IN and THROUGH all
of us who are his. The HOLY SPIRIT DISPLAYS God’s power THROUGH each of us … (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT).
Everything God, your FIRST LOVE, says and
does is an expression of his “IN” love attitude toward YOU. “…GOD IS
SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).
“…THE WORDS (God’s loving communication) THAT I SPEAK unto you, they ARE SPIRIT (god is spirit)…” (John 6:63 KJV). “…It is God who works (expresses
himself) in you …” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…May
he WORK (by expressing himself) IN … [you] … what
is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ…”
(Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).
God’s “IN” love
attitude is expressed
through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “…Jesus Christ is in you…” (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV). “…God
will supply all your [need]… according to His riches
in glory in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:19 NASB).
God expresses
“… love, joy,
peace… [through the indwelling holy spirit]…” (Galatians
5:22-23 KJV).
God expresses
“...
longsuffering,gentleness,faith… [through the indwelling Holy Spirit]…”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).
God expresses
“…goodness, meekness, temperance…[THROUGH
the indwelling Holy spirit]…”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).
God expresses.
.. “…[his]…love,
which is the perfect BOND of unity...”
(Colossians 3:14 NASB). “….[And that nothing]…shall
be able to separate [you]… from the love of God
which is “in” Christ Jesus our Lord…”
(Romans 8:38-39 KJV). “… [He assures you that]… the…faithful
love of the Lord, never ends...” (Lamentations
3:22-23 NLT).
In other words, “…[God
EXPRESSES himself to you through] … the fruit of the Spirit … love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…He [or she]… that is joined unto
the Lord is ONE SPIRIT….” (1
Corinthians 6:17).
“…THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK (or express) unto you, they ARE SPIRIT (god is spirit)…” (John 6:63 KJV). “…Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly…”
(COLOSSIANS 3:16 KJV). “…Now the Lord
(Christ, the living Word) is that Spirit…” (2 Corinthians 3:17
KJV).
The indwelling Holy
Spirit expresses and demonstrates God’s “IN” love attitude. God “…grant[s]… [objects of his love]… to be strengthened
(empowered, supported, cared for, etc.) with might by his Spirit in the inner
man…” (Ephesians 3:16 KJV). “…I can do
all things through Christ
which strengtheneth (empowers, supports, enables, helps, assists, etc.) me…”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV).
God’s INTERACTIONS with
the believer STEMS from the indwelling Holy
Spirit, which expresses His AMAZING “IN” love attitude. “…It is God who works (to
express his love) in you …” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).
God’s people are devoted to him as their
FIRST LOVE and not as a dutiful slave to a master. They are FREE to willfully
and voluntarily CHOOSE to demonstrate devoted love to him.
God does not want his people to be slaves
to the relationship, with God, as if they are imprisoned in a life of
performance, obligation, burden, or endless, joyless responsibility.
Sincere passion spurs devotion. Duty leads
to burn-out, habit, routine, boredom, passionless obligation, slave mentality,
and joyless labor. "…
She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when
I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. "In that coming day,"
says the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband ' instead of 'my master'…” (Hosea 2:14 NLT).
When
you have stopped listening and responding to God, from your heart and turned
your devotion into a conglomeration of dutiful religious behaviors; you have,
most likely, LEFT or DEPARTED from your FIRST LOVE. “…I HAVE SOMEWHAT AGAINST THEE…[YOU HAVE]…LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE…”
(REVELATION 2:4 KJV).
Duty
is LIMITED to what you do. Devoted LOVE is “NOT” limited to WHAT you do, but
WHY you do it. “… I lay down my life... No one takes it from me, but I lay it
down of my own accord. …” (John 10:17-18 KJV). "You
did not choose me but I chose you…”
(John 15:16 ASV). “… [Nothing] …will be able to separate [you]… from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord…”
(Romans 8:31-39 NASB). “…I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6
KJV). “… [God has]… loved [you]...with an everlasting love….”
(Jeremiah 31:3 KJV). “…I AM
WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end…"(Matthew
28:20 NIV).
However, “…My
people would not listen to me (Their FIRST LOVE).
They kept doing whatever they wanted, following
the stubborn desires of their evil hearts…” (Jeremiah 7:24 NLT). “…I HAVE SOMEWHAT AGAINST THE[m]…[THEY HAVE]…LEFT [THEI]R… FIRST LOVE…”
(REVELATION 2:4 KJV).
Godspeed,
Dr. Pensacola
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