LEARNING DAILY

 

Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Jesus

 

I know I have already worked with this verse when I went through The Revelation. I would like to use it today as a reminder all of us might need. As we enter 2022, I want each of us to be reminded that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to be at the very center of your life. He wants to be the reason for everything you do; He wants to be honored and glorified through our thoughts, speech and actions every day. Let me give some examples.

 

In Luke 10, we are told about Jesus and those with Him entering the village of two sisters, Martha and Mary. While they were there, Martha busied herself with doing all sorts of things to serve them; she loved the Lord but was distracted by doing good things. Mary, on the other hand, “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard every word He said.” When Martha asked Him to tell Mary to help her serve, He replied, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her”. In other words, He is telling Martha (and you and me) that “practical service to Him is essential and good, our first and most important task is a love and devotion that expresses itself in quiet worship, prayer and fellowship with Him” (LSSB). You and I can get so busy serving Him, attending church, and doing good deeds that we forget we are to “love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds” (Matthew 22:37).

 

Jesus told a parable about a Sower whose seed fell among thorns. In Matthew 13:22 He said, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” The pleasures of the world, the riches it offers and the cares of this life – the pursuit of them – are the enemies found in this soil. Again, notice the distractions that get in the way of following the Lord as He desires. David Jeremiah has written, “… distracted living can become a lifestyle. It can permanently hinder the progress God wants each of us to make within us.”

 

I want this to just be a reminder to each of us to not be distracted by all of the mess in this world. 1 Corinthians 7:35 tells us to “serve the Lord without distraction”. Be involved with all the good things you do for the Lord; just do not put them before your love for Him. Distractions are what He was saying He had against the people in the church of Ephesus (in the verse above). Let this new year be the year when you keep your eyes focused on Him, staying on the narrow way to His kingdom and looking for His return. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready (Dr. Ed Newton)!

 

The basic idea for this blog came from an article written By David Jeremiah. His premise fit into the thoughts I have been trying to encourage you with this week.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB