God's Purpose for Us
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior. Thank you for giving me a new life through Him. I ask that you would help me to stay in love with my “first love.” I want Jesus to be the center of everything in my life. Help me to keep myself in your love at all times. I ask this in Jesus’ name. . . Amen.
God’s Word Today – Jude 20-25
“20 But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. 21 Live in such a way that God’s love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. 22 Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins.”
“24 And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. 25 All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now, and forevermore. Amen.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Jude 21 states, “Live in such a way that God’s love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you.” The New International Version says it this way, “Keep yourself in God’s love. . .” The third challenge I give New Life is to STAY IN LOVE WITH JESUS. It’s so easy to be like Martha and get caught up in the “work of the Lord” and miss “the Lord of the work.” We can give ourselves in so many ways, be we also need to consistently receive from the Lord. We can’t give what we don’t have. In order to be effective ministers for Jesus Christ, we must be in love with Him. We must be in love with the One we serve!
Revelation 2:2-5 offers this strict warning. It states, “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 from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lamp stand from its place among the churches.” Although this was a warning to the church at Ephesus, it still applies to us today. We can’t wander from our first love – Jesus Christ. He longs for our passionate love and commitment. New Life, stay in love with Jesus!
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
According to Jude 21, what are we instructed to do?
Why should we “keep ourselves in God’s love?”
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
How can we “keep ourselves in God’s love?”
What does it mean that Jesus’ is our “first love?”
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
According to Revelation 2:2-5, why is it important that we keep our “first love?”
Is Jesus your “first love?” Why or why not?
How can Jesus be your “first love” today?
Thoughts
We are warned in Revelation 2:2-5 that we must keep Jesus as our “first love,” or our witness to the world will be extinguished. When we think of “first love,” we probably think of our first boyfriend or girlfriend, or the person who first set our hearts aflame. Revelation, however, reveals that this should not the kind of “first love” that we must have. It says that our first love must be Jesus Christ. The church at Ephesus began in the right way, with Jesus as their only passion and desire. However, because of other circumstances, they allowed their hearts to be consumed with other things. Their love for Jesus began to fade and they became more interested in other things. Although they had done some things right, they missed keeping Jesus as their “first love.”
Amidst the business of life, and ministry, it’s easy to lose our fire for Jesus. Rather than investing time with our precious Savior, we allow other things to draw our attention away from Him. We begin to spend our time on other things, with other people. We may be active in ministry and do plenty of “good” things, but the most important thing we can do is stay in love with Jesus. We shouldn’t let anything distract us from loving Jesus as we should. New Life, I want to challenge you in the days ahead to keep your first love. Keep Jesus the central priority of your life. Don’t allow business to get in the way with what’s most important – being passionately in love with Jesus!
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