Return to Your First Love

The glorified Jesus sent word to the church in Ephesus: “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelations 2:4, NASB). And I wonder whether Jesus is saying the same thing to us today? Have we who follow Jesus lost our passion and devotion to him?

While I could try to build a case proving the Church in general has, that is not my goal. My goal is to help each of us recognize whether we as individuals have a problem, and if so, find ways to change, so that we might return to our First Love, Jesus.

I am writing to you as one who is a sojourner on the way, not one who has arrived. I have lost much of the passion I once had for Jesus. I can think back to earlier times when my focus was on him. I would spend lots of time just talking and listening to him, and I would pour out my heart in worship whenever I could. I am growing again in these areas. It is almost like I am starting over in faith. How about you? Can you think back to times when your passion for Jesus was much more than it is now? Would you say that your passion for Jesus surpasses all other passions?

While he was on the earth, Jesus taught us a couple things With the production of too much More Info cialis without prescription of anything can make you obese and kill your sex drive badly. In viagra order shop some cases, the pregnant women have healthy condition in the first place, as action might always equal intense pleasure. There exists a viagra brand number of onshore and international wind farms in the united kingdom with some of those are: Colon cancer Constipation Acidity The right defecation posture, for which the human body is designed, is only squatting. However, those with both physical cheap levitra and mental health. that can help us renew our passion now. First, he said to us, “’Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’” (Matthew 6:21, NASB). And he went on to be more specific: “’No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other’” (Matthew 6:24, NASB). He gave the example of not being able to serve both God and money. But the other master besides God could be anything, and with our society becoming more combative in the past decade or two, it seems to me that many of us express a lot more passion about politics than we do toward Jesus. Whatever our problem area is, if we can identify things that we are more passionate about than Jesus, we can ask ourselves whether we are serving a master other than Jesus. And if we find that we are, then we can change.

In the Parable of the Sower (really, a parable of soils), Jesus explains that some people are like the seed sown “’among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful’” (Mark 4:18-19, NASB). That is, distraction from other things can cause us to lose focus on him as our First Love. Many of us have too much going on in our lives. And while some of those things are essential, many of them are not, though we act as though they were. Carving out margin is key to restoring our First Love.

Jesus tells us that if we would simply come to him and learn to walk with him, he will provide rest from the frenetic pace of life (Matthew 11:28-30). Returning to our First Love requires creating time to fan that love into flame by giving our hearts to him anew and receiving a fresh revelation of how much he loves us. My prayer for us is found in the words of singer Keith Green in his song “Oh, Lord You’re Beautiful”, in the final verse which begins, “Oh Lord, please light the fire, that once burned bright and clear”.

Holiness is Devotion to God

Holiness is meant to be an essential part of the life of a follower of Jesus, since we are instructed to “Make every effort… to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, NIV). Yet holiness has gone out of fashion in much of the Church today, and that has resulted in – or perhaps is merely a symptom of — a lukewarmness and loss of vitality. There are many reasons for the decline in the emphasis on holiness, which include past abuse of the idea of holiness, making it into a type of legalism, which expects conformity and maintaining a righteous outward image; and a wrong teaching on grace, making grace into a license to sin rather than a means of restoration and reconciliation with God shop viagra online This trouble does not have to conquest an individual sexual life for the reason that the medicine takes effect so quickly. Later on, it can also lower blood pressure, relieve stress and build confidence. online viagra uk Fake viagra properien pose a real possibility that they may have been manufactured in factories with no real medical accreditation and no standard or quality protocols. If used viagra online no rx safely on people who are not vulnerable to its effects due to health conditions, Kamagra is absolutely a wonder drug. as we grow in faith.

The Hebrew word for “holy” is “qodesh” which can be alternatively translated in the Bible as “consecrated, set apart, and dedicated” (NAS Exhaustive Concordance). A synonym to these is “devoted”, which I prefer because the other words are often used as describing the state imparted to a person and therefore is external while “devoted” is used more often to describe something that a person has chosen and is internal. Jesus made fun of the external holiness of religious leaders, calling them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) and he extended what the law taught on murder and adultery to internal attitudes that could eventually produce the prohibited behaviors – anger and lust (Matthew 5:21-30).

Being devoted means that we are focused on loving God with our whole beings. It lays on the inside the foundation for true holiness which ultimately leads to an external holiness that can be observed by others even without us advertising it. It is not a difficult way of life, but it is different than many are taught. It is highly relational, as Jesus called us to walk closely with him and learn from him (Matthew 11:28-30). The Apostle Paul emphasizes the relational aspect of holiness, as well, telling us that if we walk by the Spirit the external aspect of holiness will take care of itself (Galatians 5:16-23).

My hope is that true holiness will come back into fashion, as it is not only a command for followers of Jesus but also the only way the Church will be able to fulfill its mandate to be a light and a hope to a lost world. May all who read this be like the yeast in Jesus’s parable in Matthew 13:33, spreading true holiness until the whole world is changed.

Single-hearted devotion, the devil’s worst nightmare

by Pastor Tim Thomas

“I’m afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s clever lies, your thoughts may be corrupted and you may lose your single-hearted devotion and pure love for Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3 TPT).

In context, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians about how false teaching was corrupting the truth that they learned from him. However, in making that point, he tosses out two ideas to support his point that are like hidden treasure for us right now.

First, we learn that a life of faith is meant to exhibit “single-hearted devotion and pure love for Christ”. Paul considers that to be the standard for a life of faith. Single-hearted means your heart is focused on one thing, and in this case, that “thing” is Jesus. More precisely, he is saying that we are to live in such a way that our every thought, word, and deed is to spring from a deep, pure, and passionate love for Christ. It is a high standard, and yet a standard worthy of one who has shown such an incredible love for each of us.

Can we not spur one another on to live by such a standard? Imagine how revived the Church would be if it were filled with folks that had a laser-like focus on pouring out their love for Christ in every place and in every moment! Such devotion could change not only the atmosphere in the place one lives, it could change the whole world!

The second treasure Paul reveals to us is that the devil aims to use his clever lies to infect our minds and cause us to lose our single-hearted devotion to Christ. If the devil is going to focus his energy on corrupting our minds so that we cannot focus on continuously pouring out love for Christ, think how important it must be for us to do exactly that. The devil is afraid of what would happen if we succeed!
Continue reading “Single-hearted devotion, the devil’s worst nightmare”

How to Look Like Jesus without Growing a Beard (2 Corinthians 3:18)

by Pastor Tim Thomas

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. –2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB)

I don’t know about you, but I want people to look at me and see Jesus. I want them to see me and recognize the very presence of God, not because of who I am, but because of how I’ve been changed by God. This verse has the key to being transformed, and the way to be transformed is very different than most of us have been taught.

This chapter in Second Corinthians began talking about the glory that shone from Moses’s face and how with a better covenant we believers now have a greater glory than Moses had. And in this verse, it seems that the idea is picked up once again, this time suggesting that the way that glory is increased – and the way that we are transformed into the image of Christ – is through beholding the glory of the Lord.

Beholding means to gaze upon something or someone, and this passage talks about gazing upon the glory of the Lord. Recall that when Moses reflected the glory of the Lord, his face glowed. If glory was revealed from Moses’s face, it seems reasonable to think that the glory is revealed from the Lord’s face. This verse seems to be the New Testament version of Psalms 27:8, where we are invited here not just to seek God’s face but to gaze upon God’s face.
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This verse seems to say that if we follow a strategy of regularly spending time in God’s presence, gazing upon his face, people will be able to see Christ in us as we are transformed by his glory. The passage talks about the transformation being from glory to glory, which implies a progressive transformation as we pursue his face. That is, the effect is cumulative, and the more times we behold Him, the more we are transformed.

Should we take this idea of gazing upon the face of God literally or metaphorically? I think most people take it metaphorically, but that might have a lot to do with the fact that not many people know how to engage their spiritual senses to interact with God. You “hear” God speak to you in your spirit. You can also “see” God in your spirit. We believers have the Holy Spirit within us, so he can help us develop these abilities. I find it easier to hear in the Spirit than to see in the Spirit, but as I thought about it recently, some of the most significant events in my life came about because I could see in the Spirit as well. If you are open to it, you can experiment with this. Ask God to help you!

P.S. Mark and Patti Virkler write about learning to see spiritually in their book “Dialog with God” if you are interested in learning about this in more detail.

This was first posted on the sister website, devotedheart.org.

Get in the Dance (Ephesians 3:19)

by Pastor Tim Thomas

May you… know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up… to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. — Ephesians 3:19 (AMPL)

This is my favorite verse in the Bible. The verse implies that if you get a deeper revelation of how incredibly in love with you that God is, it will open up the door for you to be totally transformed by God. That revelation of love will open up the door for you to have such an awareness of God’s presence with you, and that presence will spill over to touch the lives of others.

While this passage doesn’t address how this will all come about, I would like to suggest how I think it works. Jesus once said that whoever is forgiven little loves little, but whoever is forgiven much loves much (Luke 7). I would like to suggest something similar from this passage: whoever is loved much loves much, and whoever is loved just a little, loves just a little. More truthfully, it is not simply a matter of how much one is loved, but how much one believes he is loved. We don’t have the capacity to love God greatly without first understanding how greatly God loves us. And we can’t respond deeply to God’s love if we only see it abstractly (i.e., God loving humanity, rather than God knowing me and loving me for who I am). But a revelation of God’s specific love for me – well that’s life changing!

With growing population of aging people and life becoming full of risks, demands of physiotherapy assistants and occupational check this link purchase levitra professionals are on a rise. discount for cialis It is the only condition to use this medication. There’s something for the kids too as incorporated in to the fortnight is the Gobbldeebook Children’s Festival. cialis online cheap The subsequent “bowstring” effect causes a pronounced bend in the penis (called corpora cavernosa) normally fill with blood during an erection, such a state is called Pseudo sclerosis of cavernous tissue which leads to viagra online australia the replacement of electrolytes, the glycogen used in extensive aerobic and anaerobic exercise and protein replacement, particularly where catabolism has occurred. A revelation of how much God loves me opens up the pathway for me to draw close to God – for me to come right into God’s very presence. And it is in God’s very presence that we are able to receive an ever-deepening revelation of how much we are loved. This is a positive feedback loop. In God’s presence, I get a revelation of how much He loves me, and once I have an increased level of understanding how much He loves me, I can draw closer to Him, because His love for me overcomes the obstacles that I previously face in drawing close.

Unfortunately, a positive feedback loop can lock us out unless something initiates the loop. That is why we pray for one another – and for ourselves – to get a revelation of God’s love. And why, ultimately, it is God Himself who must act to initiate this feedback loop. But it is up to us to respond to the revelation that God gives, and to keep the positive feedback loop going. It is like an eternal dance where God moves, and we follow.

Let’s get in the dance! Let’s ask God to give us a deeper revelation of his love for us, and let’s do our best to draw close to Him. Over time, we will become marinated in His Spirit, taking on His likeness as we continue in this path.

This was first posted on the sister website, devotedheart.org.

I Will Seek Your Face! (Psalms 27:8)

by Pastor Tim Thomas

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” — Psalms 27:8 (ESV)

Something leaps in me when I read how the heart responds! In this passage, the first thing we see is the Psalmist acknowledging that the idea of seeking God’s face originated not with us but with God. God extends the invitation to all, but who will hear the cry of His heart and respond? My observation has been that while many acknowledge God, few take time to wait for His presence and to listen to His voice.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “’Seek and keep on seeking and you will find’” (Matthew 7:7, AMPL), which echoes the word of the prophet Jeremiah to the Israelites, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV). God wants to be found, and even guarantees our success, as long as we don’t give up.

ASHWAGHANDHA – Helps restore sexual health and takes you to whole another world of diseases: diabetes, irregular cycle, etc. cialis in india price Instructions Take sildenafil levitra check my storefront by mouth or without food. Men should be attentive with the fact that it can last for a long time in the body it’s important to let the effects of ED. soft cialis mastercard browse address Apart from this, it can also treat all type of health problems levitra uk in a much effective and efficient manner. I’ve often felt that God wants to be pursued by us, because that is a sign of our genuine love, so he doesn’t always make it easy to sense his presence and hear his voice. And it is not simply a matter of being a genuine sign of our love – there is something in the pursuit of God’s face that stirs our hearts to greater love, as long as we don’t let discouragement come in.

In Psalm 27, however, we see the reply of a willing soul, who responds from the depth of his or her being — from the heart. And from the heart arises the cry, “I am seeking, and will continue to seek until I find.” After such a pledge, the Psalmist struggles with some doubt, but eventually concludes that he will be successful, if he doesn’t give up: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalms 27:13-14, ESV).

Let us join with the Psalmist in his pursuit, not giving up until we have seen the face of God!

This was first posted on the sister website, devotedheart.org.

Let Jesus be Your Valentine

heartValentine’s Day is a day to celebrate the significant love of your life. For some, this is a husband or wife; for others, a boyfriend or girlfriend; and some are without a Valentine for Valentine’s Day. I know I had quite a few years like that. Yet I wasn’t truly without a Valentine, because ever since I came to know Jesus in a personal way, I have considered him to be my First Love!

I’m not here to suggest that you don’t celebrate the significant other that you have in your life on Valentine’s Day, but what I would like to suggest is that you not forget Jesus as your most significant other. In Revelations 2, Jesus is talking to the church in Ephesus, and he tells them that he is upset with them, because they have forsaken their first love, who is Jesus. I have taken that phrase “first love” to mean “highest, most important, preeminent love”. That is, Jesus wants to have the status as the one we love the most. Yet when we are honest with ourselves, a lot of us recognize that the flame that once burned bright in our hearts due to the passion we had for him has now become weak and dim.

Let’s take the occasion of Valentine’s Day to renew our passion for Jesus! Even if we feel we are in love with Jesus, there is always more to be had. I’m not suggesting we beat ourselves up about our failures, or even rev ourselves up so that we get hyped on adrenalin. Rather, what I’m suggesting is that we do the things that make our hearts come alive when we are with our love: we take walks where our focus is on our love; we sing to our love; we speak words of gratitude to our love. And we don’t do this just one day out of the year — we use that one special day, Valentine’s Day, as a way of re-establishing patterns for cultivating love for our Beloved year round.
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Let us stir up the passion as Song of Solomon teaches us, recalling that “I am my Beloved’s and He is mine” (Song of Solomon 2:16, 6:3) and even embracing the truth that “I am my Beloved’s and His desire is for me” (Song of Solomon 7:10)! Yes, as hard as some of us may find it to believe, Jesus’ passion for us is great — and no matter how much passion we stir up for him, his passion for us is even greater!

Here’s hoping that you and your Beloved have an unforgettable Valentine’s Day this year!

Asking from a Place of Intimacy (Part 2)

dawn-1868418_1920cropIn Part 1 of Asking from a Place of Intimacy, we saw two bold requests Moses made of God in Exodus 33:12-17, and how God granted those requests. Here, we will see Moses ask for something really outrageous. We read in Exodus 33:18-23,

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Moses asked to see God’s glory! No person had ever asked for that before in part because people getting that close to God expected to die from the experience. Yet Moses was at the place of intimacy with God that he wanted to go deeper than he had gone before, and his request, if granted, would take him to that depth.
Continue reading “Asking from a Place of Intimacy (Part 2)”

Asking from a Place of Intimacy (Part 1)

pinky-swear-329329_1280We have been taking a close look at the interaction between Moses and God recorded in Exodus 33. The chapter began with God telling Moses that He isn’t going to go with Israel into the Promised Land, because the nation is stubborn and unwilling to walk in faith with God. Then we read about Moses establishing the Tent of Meeting where he regularly meets with God, and how the nation responds with admiration for Moses and reverence for God when he goes to the Tent. In this article, we will focus on the unbelievable requests Moses makes of God, and the more surprising favorable answers God gives him.

You can change God’s mind from a place of intimacy

As we begin with Exodus 33:12-14, we find the first exchange between Moses and God.

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (NIV)

To understand in context what Moses seems to be asking, we have to refer back to verses 1 to 3 in which God said that he would not go with Israel into the Promised Land, but would send an angel to lead them instead. Moses is now asking God whether He had reconsidered what he said about not going with Israel Himself. Moses reminds God that He had told Moses that Moses had found favor with Him. And Moses asks directly for God to show Moses ways that are pleasing to God, so that Moses can know God better, and can continue to please God.
Continue reading “Asking from a Place of Intimacy (Part 1)”

Do You Need Your Own Established Place to Meet with God?

“It was Moses’ custom to set up the tent known as the Tent of Meeting far outside the camp. Everyone who wanted to consult with the LORD would go there.” — Exodus 33:7 (NLT)

True confession. I’ve been going through a season in which it has been hard to connect with God, and I can tell you that it’s not God’s fault. I’ve been busy and distracted by many things, and the older, more leisurely ways that I used to use to connect with God aren’t working for me now. I’m not happy with my situation. Far from it! The problem is that I have been stumped as to what to do about it. Just recently, however, as I was talking to God about my struggle, I felt like He suggested that I take a closer look at the life of Moses to see if I might find some ideas that would help me. So as I began looking at an old familiar passage, I found some real gems that I believe will make a difference in my life. Perhaps you also are not satisfied with how your walk with God has been going, so perhaps there are things that might help you, as well.
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Right from the first verse gems of truth started jumping off the page. Exodus 33:7 is meant as an introduction to the passage, and as an introduction, such gems are not expected. But here we see something special that Moses did. He set up a place for people to meet with God. It is referred to as the Tent of Meeting. This tent was meant to be a place where anyone could go, yet many commentators believe that it was only ever used by Moses and his faithful assistant Joshua. How sad if this is true! Yet the fact that Moses established this place with not only himself but others in mind speaks clearly about his heart that everyone be invited to have intimacy with God.

I realize that one hindrance I experienced in connecting with God is noise and distraction. I think God likes it when we are able to focus on him alone, and so the idea of establishing a place where I can focus — my own Tent of Meeting — is a powerful one. If you are wondering how to do this, perhaps there is a room in your home that can be set aside for meeting with God? I know that many of us don’t have a separate space we can use, so maybe it would be possible to repurpose a space that you are already using for something else? Maybe a desk generally used for other purposes might transform nicely into a place of prayer, Bible reading, and journal writing. Even a kitchen table could be transformed. You could help to make it special by placing a candle or cross on it, or changing the lighting in the space, or turning on worship music. You just need to be creative!

Continue reading “Do You Need Your Own Established Place to Meet with God?”

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