🔥 Restore Our 1st Love Rev 2:4, Mk 12:30-31, 1 Cor 14:1, Extra Grace to Pray, Study, Worship, Put away Distractions, "Choose the Better Part" as Mary

[Nochaeld]

Restore Our 1st Love Rev 2:4, Mk 12:30-31, 1 Cor 14:1, Extra Grace to Pray, Study, Worship, Put away Distractions, "Choose the Better Part" as Mary, Luke 10:41-42, Naturally Edifying the Church, Sharing The Gospel, Make Disciples, "Do The Things We Did at First" Rev 2:5... Father, thank You for Your great love, for "We love because You first loved us," 1 Jn 4:19. We ask for a restoration of our first love, Rev 2:4. Help us "repent and do the things we did at first," Rev 2:5, i.e., when we were first saved [1]. Extra grace to pray (in The Holy Spirit) & study the Bible so we can learn His Word and extra grace to pray so we can share the Truth filled with "Power from on high," Acts 1:8, The Holy Spirit, His fruit, Gal 5:22-23, and gifts, 1 Cor 14:1-2, and holiness. Help us "Make Disciples, baptize (live) and teach obedience to all Christ taught, Matt 28:19-20. Protect us from distractions, sin and the evil one, Matt 6:13. Give extra grace and discipline to dig in deeply over this summer and throughout all our Lives. Let us "choose the best part "as Mary, who "listened to Jesus' Teaching in a posture of humility," Luke 10:40-41, which The Lord promised would not be taken away, Luke 10:42. Thank You so much for Your love, Holy is Your Name, in Jesus' Name.

"O Lord, please light the fire That once burned bright and clear Replace the lamp of my first love That burned with Holy Fear," in "O Lord, You're Beautiful," May 7, 1980.

[1] Oddly enough, the Ephesian Church Jesus addresses there has a historic precedent in Acts 19:1-5, After a slightly comical exchange between Paul and the "believers" at Ephesus, He asks them if they'd received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith. Their answer is "We haven't even heard The Holy Spirit exists!" They'd come to faith through Apollos who'd only been familiar with The Scriptures and the Baptism of John (The Baptist). After receiving the Baptism of The Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, (foundational teaching, Heb 6:1-2), the 12 all speak in tongues and prophesy! In Acts 19:8-12, after a time of battle over the Word of God in the Synagogue, Paul sets up "The School of Tyrannus," a seminary of sorts, and the revival there so mirrors the Early Church after The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-6:7 in so many ways, it's noteworthy. They remained under the teaching of the Apostles, the Word spread, the church grew and extraordinary miracles confirmed the message of Jesus was The Word of God. Let us remember to "keep ourselves in the love of God by praying in The Holy Spirit which edifies us in our most holy faith," Jude 1:20-21. Let us express that love through prophecy (edifying, comforting, exhorting and sharing the testimony of Jesus), 1 Cor 14:1-3, Rev 19:10. This is an example (from Ephesus -- the church Jesus hand picked to tell us to return to our 1st love through by emulation of the works they did at first as we repent from anything we shouldn't be doing contrary to doing this as the best part, Luke 10:42, loving The LORD, our God, YHWH, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength -- and loving our neighbors as ourselves, Mk 12:30-31. May our love abound with all knowledge and true discernment so we may always see and choose the highest good, Phil 1:9-10. May God add blessing to His Word, in Jesus' Name, thank You and you all, Amen 2 Cor 1:20...

 

[Articles]

We come before the Lord with hearts heavy yet hopeful, longing for the restoration of our first love, the passionate, wholehearted devotion to Christ that once burned brightly within us. The warning to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5 pierces our souls: "But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent." This is not merely a call to nostalgia but a command to return to the fervor, obedience, and intimacy with Jesus that marked our earliest days of faith.

The Scriptures you’ve cited, Mark 12:30-31, 1 Corinthians 14:1, and Luke 10:41-42, remind us that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the foundation of everything. Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha fretted over distractions, chose "the better part," and it was not taken from her (Luke 10:42). How often do we allow the cares of this world, the allure of sin, or even "good" things to crowd out the best thing, time in His presence, feasting on His Word, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit? We must repent of any lukewarmness, any compromise, any distraction that has dimmed our love for Him.

The example of the Ephesian church in Acts 19 is both convicting and encouraging. Those believers, though sincere, lacked the fullness of the Holy Spirit until Paul laid hands on them, and then they spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:6). This reminds us that our love for God is not sustained by our own strength but by His Spirit. We must pursue Him in prayer, in the study of His Word, and in the exercise of spiritual gifts, not for show, but for edification, as 1 Corinthians 14:1-3 instructs: "Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God... But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation." Prophecy, in its biblical sense, is not about predicting the future but about building up the body of Christ with the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 19:10).

We also lift up the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) as both a command and a privilege. Making disciples is not an optional add-on to our faith; it is the natural overflow of a heart ablaze for God. When we love Him with all we are, we cannot help but share His love with others. Yet we must guard against distractions, whether sin, busyness, or even religious activity that lacks power. Jesus warned, "The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10). The enemy seeks to snuff out our passion, but we resist him by submitting to God (James 4:7) and keeping ourselves in His love through prayer in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20-21).

Let us also address the subtle danger of intellectualizing our faith at the expense of intimacy. The Ephesians were commended for their doctrinal precision (Revelation 2:2), yet they lost their first love. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). We must never mistake theological accuracy for spiritual vitality. True discernment, as Philippians 1:9-10 reminds us, is not just about knowing what is right but about choosing what is best, what most glorifies God and edifies His people.

Father, we humble ourselves before You, confessing that we have allowed other loves to compete with You. We repent of every distraction, every compromise, every moment we have prioritized anything above You. Restore to us the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12). Ignite within us a fresh fire, a holy passion that cannot be quenched. Fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit, that we may walk in power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). Teach us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to study Your Word with hunger (Psalm 119:103), and to worship You in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Help us to choose the better part, like Mary, and to do the works we did at first, sharing the Gospel boldly, making disciples, and building up the body of Christ through love and prophecy. May our lives be living epistles, read by all (2 Corinthians 3:2), that point others to You. Protect us from the evil one, and let Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Amen.

 

[Windwold]

Praying in agreement with you in Jesus' name, Amen

 

[Powers]

I prayed with you in Jesus' Name amen