In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave these words to the Ephesian church: ‘I know you do not put up with the false teachings of evil people…You have patience and have suffered troubles for my name and have not given up. But I have this against you: You have left the love you had in the beginning. So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first. If you do not change, I will come to you and will take away your lampstand from its place’ (Revelation 2:2-5 NCV). When we first become Christians, we can be full of excitement at the thought of our new life with God. We want to spend time in His presence, listening to everything He has to say to us. We feel refreshed and strengthened after our prayer times. We‘re hungry for His Word – it’s filled with fresh insights that nourish our souls and challenge us to go deeper with Him. We can’t wait to tell others about Jesus. But we can find that some of our enthusiasm fades as daily life takes over. We can reach the same point that the Ephesians reached when Jesus spoke to them. They hadn’t turned away from God, but their love for Him had faded. If we find ourselves at that point in our relationship with God, it’s important that we take some time to slow down and renew our love for Him. He can’t be conveniently fitted into the framework of our complicated lives; He is the framework of our lives. We need to choose to put Him first, and keep Him there.

What Now?

Draw a heart shape and write in it a Bible verse that really encourages you and reignites your love for God. Put it in a place where you’ll see it every day, to remind you to stay focused on Him.