But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
--Revelation 2:4-5
I remember the day I got my first car like it was yesterday. Now, that old jalopy wasn’t much to look at to some people. But to me, it looked like a brand-new Rolls Royce!
What’s funny, though, is after a while, that new car feeling just sort of wore off. The more I drove it, the more I got used to it. What was once a new, exciting thing in my life eventually became everyday and ordinary.
And sadly, that’s how a lot of Christians view their relationship with Jesus. When they first got saved, man, they were on fire for Christ! Their eyes were wide open, their ears were ready to hear the Word of God, they were excited about their faith! They were in love with the Lord Jesus.
But somehow… over time… that newfound love for Christ wore off. What was once new, exciting, and fresh became old, mundane, and stale. Can you relate?
The fact is, Jesus never changes. You and I do… whether it’s a result of busyness, distraction, or outright sin in our lives.
But today, I’ve got some good news for you if you’d admit that your love for Jesus has grown cold: Jesus longs for your fellowship! He wants to spend time with you!
All it takes to revitalize your relationship with Christ is to remember what it was like when you first met the Lord, repent of any of those sins that are keeping you at a distance from Him, and repeat those things that keep you at His feet… things like reading His Word each day and regular prayer.
Today, it’s my prayer… if your heart is cold or if you’ve fallen into a casual, mechanical, comfortable routine in your Christian walk… that you will rekindle the fire and revive your relationship with Jesus Christ. Because He’s waiting for you to do it right now! Today!
Jesus longs for your fellowship! He wants to spend time with you!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”
Luke 20:34–36
In 1899, poor health forced D. L. Moody to end his evangelistic campaign in Kansas City and return to his home by Massachusetts. Moody told his family, “I’m not discouraged. I want to live as long as I am useful, but when my work is done I want to be up and off.” The next day Moody realized he was dying. He said, “Earth recedes, Heaven opens before me! It is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go.” Death is still with us, but its power over the Christian has already been defeated—and one day death will be gone forever.
Because we have not known life without death, it’s hard for us to picture what things will be like when it’s gone and no one ever dies again. The moment that Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, death entered into the world, just as God had warned would happen. From that moment on, every person who has been born has faced the certain prospect of dying. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27). Many face that prospect with fear, but those of us who have trusted Christ as Saviour have the certain assurance that we will live forever, because the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus ended the power of death to harm those who have placed their trust in Him.
Today’s Growth Principle:
We have already been given eternal life, and one day we will be removed from the presence of death forever.
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