• Forsaking Your First Love

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    I once heard the story of a high school student who was rather upset that her mom was not going to be coming to her graduation. This girl had worked really hard for four years to be the best student that she could be and that graduation was a sign of her achievements. But where every other student would have a parent in the crowd, she was going to be looking back out at a sea of strange faces.

    Had it been because of illness or some unavoidable circumstance, it would have been understood. But the reason her mom wasn't coming? She didn't want to take the time off of work. That hurts.

    Where on the surface her mom told her daughter that she was still important and loved and said all the right things, to the daughter her moms actions spoke louder than any words she could have said. When it came down to it her mom wasn't willing to change her priorities to give her daughter first priority and work won out over her child.

    We hear sad stories like this often and while it's easy to point the finger about some peoples messed up priorities, we need to take a long look in the mirror first because there's an epidemic that many of us are guilty of. Maybe we don't let work take priority over our kids or friends or family, but most of us are guilty of forsaking our first love.

    In Revelation chapter 2 we read a letter to the church in Ephesus which says,

    "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have test those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." (Revelation 2:2-4)

    The God of Heaven and Earth loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins and offers us an eternity with Him. And what does He ask of us? Jesus told us that we are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." (Luke 10:27)

    That said, let me ask you the question, which is the same question I'm asking myself and that is are you loving God like you should be? Do you love Him with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind?

    It's easy to say yes to that question because it sounds so right. But as we learned in the story I just mentioned about the graduation, actions speak louder the words. So let me phrase the question this way, if you look at your actions, are you loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?

    When you have the opportunity to do wrong, do you choose right because you know that's what God wants of you?

    When you have free time is the first book you grab your devotional book or Bible? Or do you pick up the latest sports or celebrity magazine?

    At night what is the last thing you think of when you go to bed? And who is on your mind when you wake up in the morning?

    God has expressed His love to us in so many amazing ways. Through His Son Jesus coming and dying, through the gift of life He gives us everyday, through the beauty of His creation, through the way He provides for our needs, through the families and friends and churches and communities that He's blessed us with, the list goes on and on and on. Is it too much to ask that we do what we can to love Him back? There's nothing more tragic than a relationship where one person loves their heart out and the other person doesn't love them back. Please, whatever you do, don't let that be said of your relationship with your Heavenly Father.

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