And you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Revelation 2:3-4 The Father designed us to fellowship with Him, and He is always calling us to connect with Him. We were created to be His co-laborers (1 Corinthians 3:9). We are invited to spend our days with the very Creator of the universe—in our work, play, rest, thoughts, conversation, and yes, in every area of our lives. Christianity is not religion. It's not some sort of code of conduct or ethics. It does have all that, but first and foremost, it is relational—a heart connection with God.

I believe God misses us when we aren't connecting with Him, our first love. As He urged the Church at Ephesus, let's remember the deeds we did when we first began our fellowship with God and do them!

• Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).
• Appreciating the Bible (and actually reading it!).
• Praying in an engaged manner when God prompts us to pray.
• Believing God and His promises in the Bible (2 Corinthians 1:20).
• Shaking off the heaviness of life that tries to keep us from Him.
• Getting in an environment to hear His Word regularly.
• Having the presence of mind to share the Gospel with people as the Spirit leads and developing our own sincere communication with folks so that we can express His life-changing message.
• Setting our sights high to reach the nations.

We are created to fellowship with God! He very much wants our attention. We are not to let what we have or haven't done keep us from Him. No, we go to our Father who loves us. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, and His mercies are new every morning (Romans 8:1; Lamentations 3:22-23). As we take practical steps to revisit the things we did when we first invited Jesus into our hearts, our affection for the Lord will be reignited and it will grow. He is worthy of our time and sincere fellowship. It's what we're made for.

Press on!
Pastor Jeff






© 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.