First and Foremost

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. "
Revelation 2:1-5

Imagine a wedding, the bride and bridegroom standing at the altar, gazing breathlessly into each other's eyes, having looked forward to and dreamed about this moment for so long, promising to love each other, taking vows to forsake everything and everyone else ...now fast forward a year... five years...ten years...twenty years...caught up in the business of running a household, the husband comes home, no kisses or embrace for his wife, his only questions are, "Where's the mail?", and "what's for dinner?", the wife who deep inside has all but given up on regaining the fiery love, relationship and passion that they once shared...

A pastor sits in his office. On his desk are stacks of paperwork, his calendar packed with so many meetings, so many demands on his schedule! As he sits reflecting, he realizes that he has become so busy with the work of the ministry, that he has forgotten why he became a pastor in the first place ... he tries to remember when he had his own quiet time with his Abba, just the Lord and him, like it was when he was saved, wrecked by his Father's love...

"Remember the height from which you hav fallen!"
We - all of us - must guard ourselves. If you have fallen, lost your first love, get it back. Be jealous and zealous for regaining and retaining your relationship with your Father & Bridegroom, Jesus. Heed the warning. Cast off time wasting activities- TV, social media, movies- the need to be entertained - which is a sign of personal and corporate lukewarmness.
We are not here to be entertained, beloved.
Remember the heights from which you've fallen.
To those who have their first love and are wrecked and ruined by His love, and desire only for relationship with Him, the Lord says, "Guard your heart, protect your first love. Catch those little foxes, the sins that can so, so easily ensnare, uprooting your anchor, and set you adrift."
"Repent and do the things you did at first."