God continually reminds me to make Him my first love. Life is filled with ups and downs, moments of joy and difficulties. It’s all too easy to lose our passion and love for God amidst the chaos of life.
In Luke 10:27 Jesus reminds us of the secret to eternal life – “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Loving the Lord with our entire being—heart, soul, mind, and strength—is what God asks of us. He desires our wholehearted love and is not interested in half-hearted devotion or a part-time relationship. God loves us and calls us into a lifelong pursuit of experiencing His goodness, faithfulness, and love.
Recently, my wife Anna and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary, which prompted me to reflect on what it takes to maintain love and affection after four decades together.
Here are some key principles:
- Spend regular quality time with Anna.
- Express my love for her daily.
- Practice forgiveness and let go of offenses quickly and easily.
- Share great experiences together.
- Make it a priority to go on weekly dates.
- Encourage and support each other.
- Create beautiful memories together.
This year I also celebrated 60 years of walking with the Lord and 50 years since I went into full-time ministry. I accepted the Lord’s forgiveness when I was 8 years old. That simple decision as a child began a lifelong pursuit of His love and direction in my life. That has lead to Him using me around the world to share His love through music. It has not only changed my life, but also the lives of my children and grandchildren. And I have been able to see hundreds of thousands of people come to know the Lord.
Here are some practices that have sustained my relationship with God:
- Engage in daily communication with Him through prayer and obedience.
- Express my love for Him sincerely and regularly.
- Study His Word daily, seeking His wisdom and guidance.
- Aim to read through the Bible every year.
- Serve faithfully in my local church on a weekly basis.
- Give to the Lord and support my local church.
- Humbly repent of sin and accept His forgiveness.
- Worship the Lord both in a local church setting and privately.
- Trust Him unwaveringly through the highs and lows of life.
- Remind myself of the amazing things God has done in my life.
Losing one’s love can be devastating, both in marriage and in our relationship with God. In the book of Revelation, the angel brings gives a challenge to the church in Ephesus:
Revelation 2:3-5: “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far 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.”
Remaining steadfast and passionate in our love for God is crucial. My desire is to stay on the right path and finish well. My goal is to have a love for my wife and for the Lord that is just as passionate as it was when I was young. I want to be a passionate follower of Jesus throughout my entire life, loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
I pray that this challenges you as much as it challenges me!
