DEVOTION OR DUTY?
“….BECAUSE THOU HAST “LEFT” THY FIRST LOVE….”
(REVELATION 2:4 KJV).
*
A "NEED" is something you
are destitute of. Satan will use a person’s need to feel emotionally “IN” love
to pervert the purpose of the hormone, oxytocin.
He will fulfill the person’s
emotionally “NEED” to be “IN” love by tempting him or her through social
interchanges or pairings that will attach them to WRONG and potentially
dangerous BONDS.
The need to feel emotionally “IN”
love can lead to or become an abnormal craving or dependency upon Satan’s kinds
of attachments, attractions, or bonds.
Satan knows humanity has a POWERFUL
need to bond to the God of LOVE and he wants to kill, steal, and destroy any
chance of that happening. “… for God is love…” (1 John 4:8 KJV)
and “ …the thief cometh….to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” (John
10:10 KJV).
There are other “reward” hormones,
but I am using oxytocin for this book. Oxytocin
plays a big ROLE in pairing two things together during social interchanges and
it is heavily released to enhance the “feel good” experience and
possibly SEAL a long-term relationships between things or people.
An addiction is the result of a
pairing relationship that BONDED a person with drugs. The pairing, most likely,
heightened and sealed, the bond, by the “feel good” JOLT, in the brain,
which produced the emotions associated with it.
Oxytocin when linked to ALL the
other senses drives the “IN” love experience into overdrive.
The “IN” love bonding experience is
so compelling it will keep the person you are “IN” love with constantly on your
mind; almost like an obsession.
You will want to spend most of your
time with them. You are so powerfully drawn, intimate, complete, whole,
soulfully united with them, you may FEEL like an addict.
When “IN” love the intimacy that is
shared, with that special person or thing, FEELS so emotionally DEEP and
consuming all other relationships PALE in comparison.
There is an abundance of emotionally
HAPPINESS in an “IN” love attachment and you don’t want to ever LOSE how
wonderful it makes you FEEL.
Sad to SAY, the intensity of a FIRST
human LOVE does not last. Because the “feel
good” feelings don’t last, one or both parties may begin to struggle with
issues of doubt, fear of losing the one they love, concerns of a changing
attachment, jealousy, mistrust, faithfulness, commitment, satisfaction, worth,
honor, or waning interest.
If the “IN” love experience reduces,
in intensity, most people think, believe, or FEEL they are NO longer “IN” love
with that person.
The reason people do MORE drugs is
because they are attempting to FEEL as good as they did in the beginning of the
relationship with drugs.
With drugs the natural "feel good" bonding hormonal
experience which comes from loving social interchanges is NOW produced by the
drug.
When the brain adapts to the drug of
choice it builds a tolerance in order to bring the stimulation or JOLT down to
a manageable level.
I believe the "IN" love bonding
experience once SEALED enables the brain to adapt to the bond between two
people in order for them to manageable the relationship.
In truth, a drug addict craves the
drug again and again in order to experience that original feel good JOLT
in the brain.
The "IN" love person also
craves the other person in order to experience that feel good JOLT again.
The attraction for the drug addict
and the "IN" person are both based on how something or someone MAKES
them FEEL.
Being “IN” love becomes identified
with HOW someone makes YOU feel emotionally and physically.
A drug addict's brain begins to
ADAPT to the presence of the drug. The "IN" love person's brain
begins to ADAPT to the presence of the one they love.
Once the drug addict's or
"IN" love person brain makes this adaption it can drive the person's
behavior to habitually SEEK after the drug or the person to MAKE themselves
"FEEL GOOD."
I mentioned this part to demonstrate
that being "IN" love, I believe, is just like being an drug addict, and
can have LONG term effects, BECAUSE it actually makes changes the BRAIN.
When a person STOPS drugs or STOPS a
bonding experience with a person the brain doesn't go BACK to normal and thus
can have LONG lasting effects.
The being "IN" love
bonding experience can have a long and powerful influence on the person's
brain, especially since it made them FEEL
GOOD, like LOVE was meant too.
People can literally crave the
person, lose control over their emotions behind the person, and exhibit risky,
dysfunctional, and adverse behaviors for the person. That’s how we got the
saying: “the things we do for love.”
Being "IN" love is obviously
a "pleasurable" experience
that makes you "feel good"
by JOLTING the brain and IMPACTING the emotions. This God-given JOLT in the
brain was a GIFT that was meant to encourage people to SEEK after LOVING social
interchanges and relationships.
This may explain why God, with
confidence, says that TWO married people "shall" become ONE. “… “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made
them male and female.’[” And he said, “‘This
explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and
the two are united into one.’ Since
they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined
together.” …” (Matthew 19:3-8
NLT).
He gave them the special BONDING hormone
that JOLTS and SEALS the brain into a long-term pairing often necessary between
a husband and wife. “…Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what
God has joined together.” …”
(Matthew 19:3-8 NLT).
Once a husband and wife are JOLTED
by the love hormone and SEALED into a relationship together, the brain adapts
to make the union manageble as it transitions into a long-term experience. “… the two are united into one...” …”
(Matthew 19:3-8 NLT).
The marital union was a holy union
created, established and meant to be BONDED by the indwelling Holy Spirit of
love. “… “what God has joined together.” …”
(Matthew 19:3-8 NLT). “…God is love…”
(1 John 4:8 KJV). “…Love,
which is the perfect BOND of unity...”
(Colossians 3:14 NASB). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…”
(John 4:24 KJV).). “…the fruit of the Spirit is
love, …”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…The
Spirit of God dwell in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV).
The marital union does NOT depend
upon a continual JOLTING, of the brain, to prove there is a BOND between them. “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).). “…the fruit of the Spirit is love,
…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…The Spirit of God dwell[s] in [the husband and wife]…” (Romans 8:9 KJV).
They are NOW depended upon the
indwelling Holy Spirit of God's LOVE to Work "IN" and
"THROUGH" in order to continually display his love for one another. “…God
is love…” (1
John 4:8 KJV). “…The …HOLY SPIRIT …is the SOURCE of [love. …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
indwelling Holy Spirit EMPOWERS the husband and wife to LOVE one another and
take action to SEEK out ways to love one another as God loves. “…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, to whom
be glory for ever and ever. Amen…”
(Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…It is God which
worketh IN YOU both to will and to do of his
good pleasure…” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).
“…I do nothing of myself…” (John 8:28 KJV). “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works…”
(John 14:10 KJV). “…He helps me, and
my heart is filled with JOY…”
(Psalms 28:7 NLT).
Most people who are no longer made
to constantly “FEEL” that JOLT may be led to believe they are NO longer “IN”
love with the other person. “…The fruit of the Spirit is love…”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…Ye shall know them
by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV). “….as I have loved you… love one another ….” (John 13:34 ASV). “…He that loveth
not knoweth not God…” (1 John 4:7-8 ASV).
When they no longer FEEL “IN” love
the relationship may end the relationship. “….as
I have loved you… love one another ….” (John 13:34 ASV). “… [You]…can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth [them]…” (Philippians 4:13 KJV). “…
It is God who worketh in [YOU]…”
(Philippians 2:13 KJV). “…the
Father that dwelleth in [you] … he doeth the
works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
People who are truly “IN” love are not limited
simply by the JOLT of love, but also experience a spiritual bond of love that
enhances their compatibility beyond the heady emotional, physical, and mind
blowing stage. “…God is love…” (1 John 4:4-8 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).
“…[Spiritual]…Love,
which is the perfect BOND of unity...”
(Colossians 3:14 NASB).
“…The
fruit of the Spirit is love…”
(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…It is the [indwelling Holy]
SPIRIT who gives [LOVE]…” (John 6:63 NASB). “…God’s love
has been poured
out into our hearts …”
(Romans 5:5 NIV).
We are EMPOWERED to love our spouses,
our children, our families, our friends, our brothers and sisters-in-the-Lord,
long-term, BECAUSE God FIRST loved us! “…he first loved
us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “…NOT THAT WE LOVED, God, but that HE
LOVED US...” (1 John 4:10 KJV). “…We give [God]...only what [he]…first gave us! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “… It is God who worketh in
[YOU]…” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). “…the Father that dwelleth in [you] … he doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
What kind of LOVE is this? “…Love is patient, 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. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres, Love never fails…”
(1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NIV). “…In this
world …[the husband and wife] … are LIKE JESUS…” (1 John 4:17
NIV). Therefore, “….as [God has]… loved [them]…
[they] …love one another ….” (John 13:34 ASV). “…He (or she)
that loveth not knoweth not God…”
(1 John 4:7-8 ASV). “… [They]…can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth [them]…”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV). “… It is God who worketh
in [them]…” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). “…the Father that dwelleth in [them] … he doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
If you are ONLY “IN” love when “you”
FEEL something, emotional or physical, the relationship is doomed as soon as
the physical desires or feelings fade, alter, or oscillate after the initial
infatuation stage.
When the emotional or physical
feelings are NOT readily available, in the “IN” love human experience, what
else is there? Probably, for most people, NOTHING is left. Unfortunately being
“IN” love is usually dependent on HOW someone else makes YOU feel.“… [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 AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end…"(Matthew 28:20 NIV). “…If … [you]
… are unfaithful, he remains
faithful…” (2
Timothy 2:13 NLT).
If your ONLY gauge for FEELING
loved, by another, is based on an emotional or physical expression you may find
yourself constantly falling “IN” and “OUT” of love. Every time you FEEL
something or get a JOLT, in the brain, you may begin to think its LOVE when it’s
NOT.
God’s expression of being “IN” love
with you is based on an immutable spiritual expression founded on TRUTH. “…God is love…” (1 John 4:4-8 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV). “…I
am the Lord, I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV “…God SO LOVED the world, that he GAVE…” (John
3:16). “…Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that HE LOVED US...” (1 John 4:10 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). “…[Nothing]…will be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord…”(Romans
8:31-39 NASB). He has “….loved [you]...with an everlasting
love….” (Jeremiah 31:3 KJV). “…There is no greater LOVE …” (John 15:13 NLT). “…Thy word is truth”
(JOHN 17:17 KJV).
The human perception of LOVE or
being “IN” love is transferred over into the relationship with God. If
the relationship with God doesn’t make you FEEL as “IN” love as you did when
you first came into the relationship with God through Christ it is easy to
think, believe, or feel YOU are NO longer “IN” love with God or that he is no
long “IN” love with you.
However, God’s “IN” love attitude is
a FIRST LOVE attitude and NEVER changes, wanes, reduces, or separates. “… [Nothing]
…will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord…”(Romans 8:31-39
NASB). “…God is love…” (1 John 4:4-8 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV). “…I
am the Lord, I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV). “…Jesus Christ is the same …forever…” (Hebrews 13 :8 NIV).
God is AWARE of HOW wishy-washy
human “IN” love experiences work and therefore, his LOVE for them is NOT
determined by their LOVE for him.
God KNOWS true LOVE is sacrificial
and comes at a VERY high price. “…There is no GREATER LOVE than to lay
down one’s life…” (John 15:13 NLT). HOW God FEELS is
“NOT” a determining factor for HIS being “IN” love with YOU. “… 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).
When God is “IN” love with you, the
intensity of that LOVE “never” changes. God’s being “IN” love with you is also
NOT determined by HOW you love him, but how he CHOOSES to love you.
God’s STANDARD for being “IN” love
with you is determined by the following: 1. He chose to love you. 2. He didn’t
make you earn his love, be worthy of it, or deserving of it. 3. He doesn’t
require you to make him FEEL your love for him. 4. Your positive or negative
treatment of him doesn’t change the intensity of his love for you. 5. There is
nothing you can do to EVER change his love for you. 6. The FIRST LOVE attitude
for you endures throughout the entire relationship. 7. His FIRST LOVE attitude
is totally sustained by HIM.
God tells his people to love each
other the SAME way he has loved them. “….as I
have loved you… love one another ….” (John 13:34 ASV).
They CAN love the SAME way he loves because of Jesus Christ. “…In this world …[they] … are LIKE JESUS…” (1
John 4:17 NIV). HOW? “… [They]…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). “…the
Father that dwelleth in [them] … he doeth the
works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
God is always “IN” love with his
people even when they fall out of harmony with him, abandon him, LEAVE him, or
forget all about him. “…If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is…” (2
Timothy 2:13 NLT).
God has experienced the loss of his
people’s love for him, the replacement of their love for him with something
else, and the complete separation or divorce of their love from him.“…
[YOU]… FORGOT all about ME,” says the Lord…” (Hosea 2:13 NLT). “…
you became proud and FORGOT ME….”
(Hosea 13:6 NLT). “…Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her
wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have
FORGOTten ME…” (Jeremiah 2:32 NLT).
“…They
ABANDONED ME and did not obey my word….” (JEREMIAH 16:11
NLT). “…They ABANDONED the Lord…
they turned their backs on him….” (2 Chronicles 29:6 NLT).“…The
Lord replies, “This has happened because my people
have ABANDONED MY INSTRUCTIONS; they have refused to obey what I said….”
(JEREMIAH 9:13 NLT).
The problem with humans falling “IN”
love, as they understand it, is they also fall “OUT” of love. Falling “OUT” of
love is PAINFUL and many of the senses involved in that experience can become
seriously or permanently damaged impacting their ability to engage in other
relationship.
The injury, from an “IN” love
experience can be as painful as a physical ailment, especially since it impacts
the brain.
Some people may decide never to be
“IN” love again, or that they can’t live without the other person, or may begin
to believe they are NOW unlovable.
Others may decide to harden their
hearts, or to be angry, or get revenge on that gender.
Being “IN” love is such a GRAND brain-altering
experience, that once experienced, they become starved for those “feel good” over and over again.
When the “IN” love experience goes
WRONG it can cause a lot of stress, struggle, and conflict in trying to relive
that emotional and physical relationship with someone else.
It truly feels exhilarating to OPEN
up the senses to someone you believe you can be emotionally and physically “IN”
love with, hopefully, forever.
Being “IN” love simply means you
have abandoned your heart to another in a PAIRING relationship; whether spouse,
child, parents, siblings, etc.
The loss of those “IN” love PAIRING
relationships can lead to destructive thinking, feelings, and actions.
Human “IN” love experiences can be
harmful, at times, anyway, because humans change, which means the BONDING
relationships, you have with them, can change too.
God meant for the love between
humans to a dependable, balanced, and mutual interchange between two people.
However, being “IN” love can NOT
simply be measured by HOW the other person makes YOU feel emotionally or physically.
However humans learn to love, or
have defined love, or the world says love should be FELT; usually emotionally
or physically.
FEELINGS don’t produce love. Love
produces the FEELINGS. Patience produces the feelings. Kindness produces the
feelings. Honor produces the feelings. Respect produces the feelings
Forgiveness produces the feelings. Grace produces the feelings. Mercy produces
the feelings. Salvation produces the feelings,
“…WE
[feel]…LOVE, because
he first loved us” (1
John 4:19 ASV). “…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 grace-filled]…love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NIV). “…God is love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV).
God’s
love is expressed to MAKE you FEEL loved and NOT himself. God’s love focuses on
giving LOVE to you and not receiving 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). “….Christ pleased not himself…” (Romans 15:3 KJV).
Jesus definitely did “…not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life a
ransom for many...” (Matthew 20:28 KJV).
God is the ONLY standard for true
LOVE. “…In this world … [you] … are LIKE JESUS…”
(1 John 4:17 NIV). “….as [he has]… loved you…
love one another ….” (John 13:34 ASV).
God tells, his people, to love one
another AS HE has LOVED them. God loves you FIRST. God loved you BEFORE you
loved him. God LOVES you WHILE you love him. God LOVES you AFTER you STOP
loving him.
God’s LOVE remains faithful because,
from the beginning, his love did NOT depend on his people’s love for him, but
his LOVE for them. “…Know therefore that the Lord
your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his
covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and
keep his commandments…” (Deuteronomy 7:6-9 NIV).
“…If we are unfaithful, he
remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he
is…” (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT). “… The … FAITHFUL love of the Lord, [for
you], NEVER ENDS...!”(Lamentations
3:22-23 NLT).
God is love. “…God is love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). God is Spirit. “…GOD IS
SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV). God’s LOVE is SPIRIT. Love’s only agenda is love. God’s “IN” love
attitude towards you stays powerfully, potent no matter what you do or how you
respond. “…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).
God’s “IN” love attitude
relinquishes any demand of love, in return, from you. . “…Choose you this day whom ye will
serve….” (Joshua 24:15 KJV).
God will never force his love on you
or demand or manipulate love from you. Loving him is strictly your choice. You
willfully or voluntarily choose to receive and depend upon his love. “…If we
are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for
he cannot deny who he is…” (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT).
“…Choose
you this day whom ye will serve….” (Joshua 24:15
KJV). God desires your LOVE in return, but if you choose not to give it him, he
STILL loves you and respects your CHOICE. “…[You
choose to]…Trust in the Lord with
all thine heart; and [you choose NOT to]… not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV).
“… [Nothing]
… will be able to separate … [you] … from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord…” (Romans 8:31-39
NASB). God, through Christ, has “….loved [you]...with an everlasting love….” (Jeremiah 31:3 KJV). “…God is love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV).
God’s LOVE is not demanding, and
will not force you to love him in return. He patiently leaves ample room for
you to freely choose to love Him on your own volition. “…Choose you this day whom ye will
serve….” (Joshua 24:15 KJV).
God’s “IN” love attitude is easily
taken for granted and abused. Why? God “IS” love by nature, but humans are not.
God has made a loving and faithful commitment with you forever, but humans
don’t always remain faithful to him. “…he remains faithful…” (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT).
On the other hand, if you
continually remain unresponsive and ignore the “IN” love attitude God has for
you, the relationship will deteriorate.
It won’t deteriorate because God
stopped loving you, but because you made a choice to STOP depending upon his love
for you. The deterioration is totally and absolutely YOUR CHOICE.
Within an “IN” love human
relationship; you choose to interactive with one another, respond to one
another, deeply demonstrate care for one another, and work together to keep the
commitment to one another.
God’s “IN” love attitude keeps him
readily available to interact, respond, care for, and work together with you
always. His LOVE never changes, even when YOURS DOES “…I am the Lord,
I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV). “…he remains faithful…” (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT).
For instance, when you don’t respond
to God’s “IN” love attitude toward you, eventually the relationship dies out.
“…abide in me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine…” (John 15:4 KJV). “…If
a man abide NOT in me, ‘he is cast forth
as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned…”
(John 15:6 KJV).
You can become AWARE of God’s “IN”
love attitude toward you, when that LOVE is poured into your heart. “…God’s
love has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit, who has been given
to us…” (Romans 5:5 NIV).
That love will develop, through
his indwelling Holy Spirit, “IN” and “THROUGH” you. “…We love [God], BECAUSE,
he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 KJV). “ … It
is 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).
Until the WORD of God reveals how
“IN” love God is with you; you can NOT and will NOT experience a true “FIRST”
love. “ … WE LOVE, because
he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “…We
give [God]...only what [he]…first gave us! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT).
Nothing can separate you from your
“FIRST” love. “… [Nothing]…will be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord…”(Romans 8:31-39 NASB). He has “….loved
[you]...with an everlasting love….”
(Jeremiah 31:3 KJV).
God’s love bonds you into an
intimate unity with him forevermore. “…love,
which is the perfect BOND of unity...” (Colossians 3:14 NASB). “…He
[or she]… that is joined unto the Lord is ONE SPIRIT….” (1 Corinthians 6:17). “…God is love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). God is Spirit.“…GOD IS SPIRIT…”
(John 4:24 KJV).
However, that is God’s commitment to
you. “….the…faithful love of the Lord,
never ends...” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT).
On the other side, things,
obstacles, and distractions can separate YOU from God’s LOVE. God’s love is
unconditional, but yours is not. “…you have left
your first love…” (revelation 2:4).
You willfully respond and depend
upon God's love as you please or desire. “…Choose
you this day whom ye will serve….” (Joshua 24:15
KJV).
God is well aware of man’s human
love, which is usually conditional for God and others. Mankind’s human love
usually depends upon conditions or personal criteria. Yet, “… [NOTHING]…will be able to separate us from the love of God…”(Romans 8:31-39 NASB). “…you [however] … have left your first love…”
(revelation 2:4).
God’s standard of HOLY love is
unconditional. God NEVER changes. “…I am the Lord, I change NOT…”
(Malachi 3:6 KJV).
“…he
remains faithful…” (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT).
Therefore, God’s “IN” love attitude for you is never in question; but your love
for God “IS” often in question. “…you [however] …
have left your first love…” (revelation 2:4).
God’s is love. “…God is love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). Love’s only agenda is love. It was Adam and Eve’s response to
Satan that changed their loving relationship with God. God didn’t change the
relationship; they did.
Back in the Garden of Eden, the
loving relationship didn’t last and soon man was divorced from the loving,
covenant relationship with God.
When Adam and Eve LEFT their FIRST
LOVE, by responding emotionally and physically to another; it created one of
the worst divorces ever known to mankind. “…The woman was convinced
(emotional). She saw (physical) that the tree was beautiful and its fruit
looked (physical) delicious, and she wanted (emotional) the wisdom it would
give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it (physical experience).
Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it, too…” (Genesis 3:1-7 NLT).
These emotional and physical
pairings became ongoing patterns with mankind throughout biblical history and
it is clear from the Old Testament writings, that God’s OWN people often broke
off or LEFT the covenant relationship with God (Jeremiah 3:8).
Human relationship troubles are a
constant reminder of man’s challenge to remain emotionally or physically
faithful. Maintaining healthy loving BONDS with each other and God requires
spiritual love. “…Love, which is the
perfect BOND of
unity...” (Colossians 3:14 NASB). “…He [or she]… that is joined
unto the Lord is ONE
SPIRIT….” (1 Corinthians 6:17).
Centuries would past before God could
enjoy a relationship, with his people, again. Jesus came forth as the
predestined Savior and as a forerunner for reconciling the relationship between
God and humanity. “…There ... [is] … …one … who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 2:5 NLT).
Back in Eden, one wrong emotional
and physical respond severed the relationship between God and man. “… ONE sinner destroy[ed]… MUCH GOOD…” (Ecclesiastes 9:18 NASB).
From that moment on, the
relationship, between God and mankind, has had multiple issues and problems…until
Jesus.
The relationship with God was
destroyed Adam didn’t just fall into sin and take the whole human race with
him, but he fell away from or LEFT the relationship with God.
Mankind could no longer enjoy the
innocent and sweet communion with God. The relationship with God and each other
has been dysfunctional ever since Genesis chapter three.
Not only DID the fall created a
horrendous separation from God, but also from his “kind” of LOVE. “…God is love…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). God is Spirit. “…GOD IS
SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).
Without GOD, mankind DOES not know
TRUE love at all. Their kind of emotional and physical LOVE has become abusive,
or dysfunctional, or distorted from the influence of SIN.
Loving God and others are the
highest spiritual calling, on a person’s life, based on the two GREAT biblical
mandates, yet they are the most abused, misunderstood, and disrespected. “…..Love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind
and with all thy strength: this the first commandment. The second is
like, namely this … love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31 KJV).
God’s standard of love “IS” the
standard, witness, and focus of all Christlike relationship BONDs and
ministries that claim Christ Jesus as Lord. “…Love is patient,
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. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, Love never fails…”
(1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NIV).
The greatest biblical mandates
regarding SPIRITUAL LOVE focus on loving God, loving yourself, and loving your
neighbor. “…..Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all
thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength: this the first
commandment. The second is like, namely this … love thy neighbor as
thyself. There is none other commandment
greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31 KJV).
The relationship BOND
with God, his people, and each other are some of the worst ever.
Christian divorces are as high as divorces in the secular community.
In America, Sunday
mornings are still the most segregated hours among Christian brothers and
sisters. Yet, God says that, “…my disciples [will] have
love one to another” (John 13:35 KJV).
It is important to know the greatest
MARK of a true disciple is demonstrated through the WAY in which God’s people
love one another. “By this shall all
men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35 KJV).
Loving yourself and others the same
way God does is a SIGN that you personally KNOW God and are in a relationship
with him. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every
one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that
loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 ASV). “If a
man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth
not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen. And
this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also”
(1 John 4:20-21 KJV).
When God’s people LOVE the way he
LOVES it demonstrates his indwelling Holy Spirit is working “IN” and “THROUGH”
them. “… if we love one another, God dwelleth in us” (1 John 4:12
KJV). “…It is God who WORKS IN YOU…” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
There is ONE standard of LOVE for
God’s people. Many Christians SAY they can’t LOVE like God LOVES, and they
CAN’T, on their OWN, but the bible says: “…It
is God who works in you…”
(Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…The God of peace … that great Shepherd of the
sheep, … work[s] in us what is pleasing
to him, through Jesus Christ…” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…The God of peace … that great Shepherd
of the sheep, equip[s] you with everything good for doing
his will…” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “… [God] grant[s]…
[true believers]… to be strengthened with might by
his Spirit in the inner man…” (Ephesians 3:16 KJV). “…I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me…” (Philippians 4:13 KJV).
The indwelling Holy Spirit “works”
God’s LOVE “IN” and “through” his people. “…The
same God who does the work IN and THROUGH all of us who are his…
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). “…The God of peace … that great Shepherd of the
sheep … work[s] in us … through Jesus
Christ…” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…Jesus
Christ is in you…” (2
Corinthians 13:5 KJV).
Many Christians pick and choose,
among God’s WORDS, the ones that support HOW they want to respond to life in
“their own way.”
They did the same thing in the Old
Testament days. “… Every man did that which was right in his own eyes”
(Judges 17:6). People in the twenty-first century, even in the church, are BIG
on doing what is “right in [their]…own eyes.”
One of the 21st century
saying has been “you do you and I’ll do me,” which is
about doing what is right in their OWN eyes.
If you are truly in a relationship
with God, you will LOVE like him regardless of your own opinion about love,
experiences of love, or the world’s view of love. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another” (John 13:35
KJV). “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He
that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 ASV).
God knows one of the biggest
problems we face is holding onto the worldly VIEW of things. The first time
mankind followed after his OWN VIEW of things it caused them to fall into the
abyss of sin.
The whole world is NOW born into sin
and taught to do (follow their OWN views apart from God) the same thing
generation after generation (Psalm 51:5). “Wherefore, as through one man sin
entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death passed to all men,
for that all sinned—“(Romans 5:12 KJV). “For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV).
Christ chose to follow after God’s
VIEW of love. “….nevertheless not my will, but thine be done…” Because
he followed God’s view of LIFE and LOVE, God was able to use him to restore the
whole world back to himself.
One’s own view of LOVE can heal or
destroy one’s self and others. “Wherefore, as through one man sin entered
into the world, and death through sin, and so death passed to all men, for that
all sinned—“(Romans 5:12 KJV).
Your “sphere of influence” is
impacted by everything you do whether they see you do it or not. “Wherefore,
as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so
death passed to all men, for that all sinned—“(Romans 5:12 KJV).
Nothing demonstrates the detriment
of man’s fall than his or her departure from God’s kind of LOVE for him,
themselves, and others. Hardly anything else impacts your life - in either a
positive or negative – outside the way you experience your ‘perception” of
LOVE.
Man’s ability to respond to life
willfully, as he or she pleases; continues to keep humanity falling deeper into
the abyss of darkness and separation from the holy God.
The driving and motivating attitude
of Adam/Eve’s emotional or physical response to life screams “my will be
done and not God’s.”
No relationship can survive when one
person forces or demands their way all the time. Relationships are a mutual,
cooperative PAIRING between two bonded people.
God loved Adam/Eve and wanted to
protect their safety, their innocent, their holiness, and their spiritual
connection with them. He was their FIRST LOVE and was totally “IN” love with
them. It was up to Adam/Eve to choose to continue to depend upon God’s love.
However, Adam/Eve chose to be
independent from God’s love and followed their new emotional and physical
FEELINGS.
When you follow your emotional and
physical FEELINGS instead of depending upon the SPIRITUAL BOND of LOVE, you
will always depart, or fall away from him, or LEAVE him.
Are you involved in relationship
pairings with yourself or others from an emotional or physical perspective of
love Is this BOND OUTSIDE of God’s spiritual standard of love and relationships?
Jesus’ life demonstrated and spoke
about the spiritual BOND of love between HIM and God. (John 14:3, John 15:9
KJV). “… but that the world may learn that I
love the Father….” (John 14:31 KJV). "…As the
Father hath loved me…..” (John 15:9).
The relationship with God “is” YOUR
FIRST LOVE. Relationships are important to God. He LOVES you. He teaches you to
LOVE. He supplies you with LOVE. His indwelling Spirit expresses LOVE “IN” and “THROUGH”
you. He provides opportunities to love HIM, love yourself, and love others. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another” (John 13:35
KJV).
Loving relationship BONDS, based on
God’s HOLY standard and indwelling Spirit of LOVE, are the best way to
demonstrate you are God’s disciples. “….as I have loved you… love one
another….” (John 13:34 ASV). “By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35 KJV).
God’s kind of Spiritual love “IS”
the mark and evidence that says you are an authentic child of God. “….as I
have loved you… love one another….” (John 13:34 ASV). “By this shall all men
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35 KJV).
Without the indwelling Spirit of
God’s love, everything you do or express – even faith, prophecy, knowledge etc.
- 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 two most important biblical
mandates are about the right kind of Spiritual LOVE. “...Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself…”
(Luke 10:27 KJV).
Recognizing that your FIRST LOVE is
in God’s love for you, will impact your love for God, for yourself, and
others!!!! “… By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another” (John 13:35
KJV).
Leaving your FIRST LOVE is not about
departing from a love you may have had for God, but it is about LEAVING the
FIRST LOVE he STILL has for you!!
“…I
HAVE SOMEWHAT AGAINST THEE…[YOU HAVE]…LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE…”
(REVELATION 2:4).
Pensacola H. Jefferson
Yada Counselling Ministry
The Mouthpiece for his Heart
Colton’s Point, MD 20625
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