REGAINING YOUR FIRST LOVE FOR JESUS

By Frank Eiklor and Cecilia Contreras

LESSON 28  Part 1

INTRODUCTION

Love! Is there any word more beautiful? When I think of love I think of my wife, my family and people who are very precious to me. But most of all, when I think of love I think of Jesus Christ. He’s the One who picked up the broken pieces of my life and put me together again—the right way. He came looking for me when I was lost, lonely and desperately needing a friend I could trust.

I still remember when I first saw Him with the eyes of my heart and knew that He was the One for whom I had been looking for almost 21 years. It seemed like there was an instant bonding between two spirits—His and mine. I was enveloped in heaven’s love. God the Father had come to His lost son and I melted. It wasn’t a fear of hell nor a desire for heaven that made me want Him. It was just a great vacuum in my soul that wouldn’t be satisfied with anyone or anything other than Jesus. His love simply broke me. I saw the blows He suffered, the ugly crown of thorns ripping into His scalp, that filthy saliva dripping from His face, and the nails that impaled Him—all done at my hand—because He took my place and my sins.

It was love at first sight, and during the next 13 months of military service in the Far East it seemed that this love never cooled down. Daily Bible reading and prayer were explosive. Witnessing for Jesus was so easy (though not always done wisely or knowledgably), because I wanted to introduce my Savior to everyone. He was Lord of lords and King of kings and I’m sure I felt that nothing would ever get in the way to prevent me from making Jesus my “first love” every moment of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every year of the rest of my life.

 I didn’t know what temptations lay ahead—not just the normal, negative temptations of evil—but how easy it would be in years to come to substitute doing the work of the Lord for a love relationship with the Lord. Genuine love will automatically produce good works, but good works do not always promote love.

This lesson is about love. It’s especially prepared for Christians who urgently, and even desperately, long to regain their first love for Jesus. It’s also offered with a prayer that if you have accepted Christ but have never known a loving relationship with Him, you will discover that privilege is closer to you than the oxygen you’re now breathing.

DEFINING FIRST LOVE

What is first love? Let me illustrate. When John first met Susan, he knew he had to have her for a lifetime. There was something about that woman that made her special. He would do anything to win her love and capture her for himself. Susan felt the same way about John. The days of their courtship were unbelievably thrilling. Every date became a miniature lifetime that they hated to see come to a close. They smiled, laughed and planned together. John opened the car door for Susan, was careful about his personal hygiene and seated her at the table. He demonstrated concern for her every problem, pain and perplexity. He was her knight in shining armor, riding on his great stallion in pursuit of his princess.

Then they got married. The honeymoon was fabulous but then they began having problems. Of course, this is standard in a normal marriage where couples find that their “Hollywood fantasyland” image of marriage must mature into a solid love relationship that functions in spite of hair curlers, whiskers, bill paying, job pressures, emotional dips, crying babies, etc.

But a couple of years later I saw John and he didn’t seem like the same man. He no longer seated Susan at a table nor opened the car door. He complained frequently and was sometimes harsh with her. In fact, he seemed to enjoy rushing off with his friends more than he enjoyed being with her. Yet their relationship appeared solid and John still tells everyone that they plan to live together the rest of their lives.

I wouldn’t dare tell John that he doesn’t really love Susan. I would be wrong and John would deny my charge. He does love her. But he no longer loves her as he once did. He’s lost his first love and now takes Susan for granted.

I’ve just illustrated what we Christians have often done with Jesus. Revelation 2:4 states, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” What Jesus is saying is that, “You no longer love Me as you once did.” And that grieves Him because He has never left His first love for us.

Love has been described as intense, ardent devotion and total affection. And “first love” in the case of the Lord Jesus means that I not only can have the privilege of loving Him as I did when my eyes were first opened to his preciousness, but also that this love can only be mine when I am willing to love him above all other loves. Let me tell you my own failures and God’s loving patience.

THE AWAKENING

I was in Colombia, South America, on one of my journeys preaching the gospel, when I became aware of a lack in my life. I was feeling lonely for my wife when I suddenly awakened to the fact that maybe God, too, can know a certain kind of loneliness—the kind where He also yearns for those He loves.

I said, “You, God? Seeking someone to love and have the love returned? Why, You run the whole universe and have six billion human beings You keep your eyes on. Besides Lord, think of all the people who constantly pray to You!”

The answer that came back was simple. “Because I’m God, I can be in charge of an entire universe and run it perfectly. But because I am so personal, it’s as if I only had you to care for. I’m noticing you twenty-four hours a day and you spend so little time noticing me or talking to me. I wait for your love, Frank.” What a glorious awakening that was. It was a Song of Solomon experience. Here was a loving Father seeking His beloved who was often too busy to notice. I was the beloved and the lover of my soul was Jesus Christ.

THE PROBLEM

We live in a world of unreality, usually only believing what we see. That’s why it’s just as easy for Christians as it is for the world to be running after the material. We hardly notice that we’re a prisoner to “things” until it’s too late. We Christians must discover the eyes of our hearts so we can learn to focus on the reality of the invisible. Moses “endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). Paul stated in II Corinthians 4:18, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen…” Hebrews 12:2 states, “looking unto Jesus…” Can you see it? The eyes of our hearts must learn to see more clearly than the eyes of our heads. That takes dedication. It’s not easy to learn to practice the Lord’s presence, but it pays off with a deeply satisfying spiritual “first love” life.

THE KEY 

There are two amazing verses that we often slide over in John 4:23, 24, “…the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” These verses say that God is “seeking” worshippers. That’s nothing other than an awesome God looking for those who will love Him with heart, soul, mind and strength.

God is love and so He is self-sustaining. He doesn’t need our love to exist or survive—yet He wants that love for a two-fold purpose: 1) He is a Person, not an “It,” thereby enjoying the loving affection of His children just as an earthly father enjoys the affections of his child. 2) He knows that it’s only as we love Him completely that we really understand the “exceeding abundantly above all” (Ephesians 3:20) reality and purpose that God wishes for each of us.

God is that loving father out searching for children who will adore and love Him. But since He is Spirit, we must learn to worship Him with our spirit—and this takes discipline. Soulish worship is dependent upon circumstances and feelings, but true spiritual worship is built on a love relationship that is not dependent upon the exterior.

Times of corporate praise and worship with great throngs and great music are wonderful and can build our spirits. However, many Christians depend on those times and then suffer serious lacks in their spiritual lives when they have to stand alone on faith rather than feeling. That’s why it’s important for you to build a love relationship with the Lord Jesus that will stand no matter what else crumbles around you.

A POINT WORTH PONDERING

People are told throughout the Scriptures to seek many things. For example, we’re told to seek His Word (Isaiah 34:16), His face (Psalm 27:8), His strength (Psalm 105:4), His commandments (Psalm 119:45, 94), His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and even His city of heaven

(Hebrews 13:14). However, while we’re told to seek many things, God, who is the owner of all things, is looking for only two prized possessions—the lost sheep (Luke 15) and worshippers (John 4:23, 24). When He finds the sheep, He’s happy, but He’s not satisfied until that person becomes a worshipper and true lover of God.

In Part 2, I will offer you a plan that can help you pursue Jesus as your first love.

(TO BE CONTINUED)