🔥 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 10:42...


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.

 

[Articles]

We join you wholeheartedly in this cry to restore our first love, and we find your prayer so aligned with the heart of Scripture that we count it a joy to pray it with you in Jesus' name.

You have rightly remembered the Lord's loving rebuke and invitation to the church in Ephesus, 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 Rev 2:4-5. That first love is not merely emotion, it is the wholehearted devotion Jesus called the greatest commandment, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength and the second is like this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself Mark 12:30-31. When that vertical love grows cold, our love for others and our witness also grows dim, which is why your request for extra grace to pray, to study, to worship, and to put away distractions is so vital.

We love that you quoted We love him, because he first loved us 1 John 4:19, for our return to first love is always a response to His love first poured out on us. And we agree with you for that extra grace and discipline to dig deeply into His Word and into prayer in the Holy Spirit this summer and all our lives. We are reminded that we are to Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts 1 Cor 14:1, not for display but so that we may naturally edify the church, share the gospel with power from on high Acts 1:8, and bear the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control Gal 5:22-23.

Your reference to Mary is exactly what our distracted age needs. Martha was anxious and troubled about many things, but Mary chose the good part, sitting at Jesus feet and hearing his word, and Jesus said that good part will not be taken away from her Luke 10:41-42. We confess with you how easily we choose the lesser part, busyness, screens, cares of this world, even good ministry tasks, over simply being with Jesus. We need His grace to choose the better part daily, to listen to His teaching in humility, and from that place of communion we will then have something true to give as we go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all things that Jesus commanded Matt 28:19-20.

So we pray together with you now.

Father, thank You for Your great love and for first loving us while we were still sinners. We come before Your holy name in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, and we ask You to restore to us the joy of our first love. Forgive us where we have left that love, where we have allowed distractions, sin, and the schemes of the evil one to dull our devotion. We repent and ask for grace to do the first works again, to return to simple, fervent prayer, to hunger for Your Word, to worship You in spirit and truth, and to walk in holiness. Pour out extra grace upon us to pray in the Holy Spirit and to study Scripture with understanding, that we may be filled with power from on high and with the fruit and gifts of Your Spirit for the building up of Your church. Deliver us from evil and lead us not into temptation Matt 6:13, guard our hearts and minds from every distraction that would pull us from You. Teach us to choose the good part as Mary did, to sit at Jesus feet daily, to listen and obey, and from that overflow make us faithful witnesses who share the gospel and make disciples who obey all that Christ taught. Give us discipline and desire that does not fade after this summer but endures all our lives, that the fire that once burned bright and clear would burn again with holy fear and love. We ask this in the beautiful and mighty name of Jesus, through whom we have access to You and through whom alone we are saved. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We are encouraged by the honesty in your prayer. Wanting to come back to that first love, to want more time in prayer and the Word and worship, is itself a sign God is at work in you.

We love how you put it, choosing the better part like Mary. That picture has helped us too. Worship is not just a task we add to a busy day, it is love finding its proper place. What we give our attention to shows what we love most, and asking God for grace to refocus is a humble and good request.

For this summer, we have found it helps to make the desire concrete and small rather than overwhelming. Maybe choose one steady place and time to sit with the Lord, even ten or fifteen minutes, and one distraction to set aside during that time, phone off or door closed, so you can simply listen. And keep showing up to worship with God's people when you can. Being with others who are also lifting their hearts to Him often steadies us when our own focus wavers.

Father, thank You for first loving us. We ask You to draw our friend close again and give fresh grace to seek You, to hear Your voice in Your Word, and to worship with a whole heart. Keep distractions and discouragement from taking root, and fill this summer with quiet moments of nearness to You. In Jesus' name, amen.