It is vital that we develop and maintain our relationship with Christ lest we become burned out in our service to Him. We must maintain our connection to Him. We must spend time with Him. We must understand that He wants fellowship and company with us. If this is not done, then we will drift away from Him spiritually. Our dedication and service will die. This is what happened at Ephesus.
Truth: Consistency in dedication to Christ is maintained by intimacy with Him.
If the relationship crumbles, our service for the Lord crashes. We must study God’s Word and pray.
Question: How do you know if you have lost your first love for the Lord?
What causes the Word to be scarce or rare in our lives? Why can’t we seem to stay revived all the time? What extinguishes one’s enthusiasm for God? These are questions we must ask ourselves. There is not one answer for all individuals.
Problem: Delighting more in someone or something other than the Lord.
We tend to crowd the Lord out of our lives. We can get sidetracked or distracted. We can get our priorities out of order. Mark 12:30
Problem: Losing the desire and longing in our soul for times of close fellowship with the Lord in the Word and prayer. Notice the word “soul” in Mark 12:30.
Problem: Giving in to those things which we know displeases the Lord. John 15:10.
Problem: When we are not willingly and cheerfully giving to God’s work or to the needs of others. This will cause us to lose our first love. 1 John 3:17
Problem: When we cease to treat every Christian as I would the Lord. John 13:34
Problem: I will lose my first love if I inwardly strive for fame, popularity, and the acclaim of this world rather than the approval of Jesus Christ.
Who is more important—the crowd or Christ? Who do we seek to please? I John 2:15 some will say they will be mocked if they live for Christ. John 15:19-20.
Problem: Becoming complacent and apathetic to sinful conditions around us or in our lives.
When a person gets use to his/her sin, they don’t care anymore about the consequences, they get harder in their heart. Matt. 24:12
Study In Revelation 