"I love you"

It’s not just affection; It’s not just passion.

It’s authentic love. It’s the choice in every moment and opportunity, with every breath, with every exhale, to think of Him, and to choose to love Him. Not out of sense of duty, or because you have to. Because you love Him. Because He’s worthy. Because He’s good. Because, He is your first love, forever.

We can have a steady love for God that deepens and sometimes our feelings and circumstances try to ruin the sweetness of that. We can get caught up in life. Ministry, academics, relationships, dreams, etc.

Thankfully, God’s love is much stronger and more enduring than that, and He wants to reveal that truth more and more. He will not let us be jaded by the discouragements the enemy tries to use against us. He draws us back into the freshness of His presence.

Jesus wants our hearts. He loves us so much. The things we do in life and the people in it are important. But let us never abandon our first love. Or neglect to love others.

And sometimes we need a wake up call. Sometimes we need reminded of the sweetness of that first love.

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and patient endurance…But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other like you did at first! Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again.” - Revelation 2:2, 4-5

God is calling us unto Himself, to deeper intimacy, to live today with the passion of first love and that authentic, real, love that comes from our hearts, when we truly do love the Lord.

I think sometimes we just need to sit down and tell Him, “I love You, Lord. I love You.” When was the last time you did that? Just sat there with Him and told Him how much you love Him?

God wants our hearts. We may think it’s about working hard, or enduring, or have an idea of what He wants, but truly, what He desires is that we love Him with all we are, with our whole hearts, that we choose Him to be our first love, forever. That with everything, we say, “I love You.”