When I think about the phrase “first love,” my mind immediately goes to that early stage of passion and wonder, when everything felt new, alive, and full of promise.
That’s how it was when many of us first met Jesus.
We were eager to spend time with Him, excited to serve, and quick to share what He was doing in our lives. Prayer felt natural, worship came easily, and faith seemed unstoppable.
But over time, life happened.
Responsibilities grew. Disappointments crept in.
The once-burning fire dimmed to a flicker.
And before we knew it, we found ourselves going through the motions; still attending church, still saying all the right words, but somewhere deep inside, we had drifted.
The Letter to Ephesus
In Revelation 2:2–4, Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus:
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
That verse always humbles me.
The Ephesian church wasn’t lazy or rebellious. They were active, diligent, and discerning, the kind of believers we would admire today.
But somewhere along the line, their devotion became duty. Their fire became formality.
Jesus wasn’t condemning their service; He was calling them back to intimacy.
When Doing Replaces Being
It’s easy to get busy for God and forget to be with God.
I’ve been there, serving, building, creating, all in His name, but doing it from an empty place.
Even in ministry, we can become so focused on outcomes that we forget the One who called us in the first place.
But love was always meant to be the foundation of our relationship with Him, not performance, not fear, not obligation.
1 Corinthians 13 reminds us: “If I have not love, I am nothing.”
Our first love is not an emotion; it’s a posture of heart — a daily returning to the One who first loved us.
How We Drift
Drifting rarely happens overnight. It’s usually gradual.
It starts with a missed prayer here, a postponed quiet time there.
Then come distractions; the endless scroll, the unhealed disappointments, the subtle belief that God has forgotten us.
Before we realize it, we’ve replaced intimacy with activity, and presence with productivity.
But God, in His mercy, keeps calling us back: “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7).
Returning Looks Like This
Returning doesn’t always mean doing more, many times, especially for those of us who turned serving God into a duty, it means doing less.
- It’s carving out time again to be still before Him.
- Reopening the Bible not for study, but for communion.
- It’s repentance, not out of guilt, but love.
- It’s saying, “Lord, I miss You. I want to know You again.”
Just like in Hosea 2:14, where God says, “I will allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.”
That’s how gentle God is with us, He woos us back to Himself, not through shame, but through love.
The Beauty of Rediscovery
The beautiful thing about God is that He never holds our distance against us.
He is the Father who runs to meet the prodigal.
He’s the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine for the one.
When we return, we find that He never truly left — He’s been waiting, patient and kind.
And the love we rediscover is often deeper, more rooted, more enduring than before.
Practical Ways to Return
If you sense God calling you back to your first love, here are a few simple ways to respond:
- Repent with honesty. Tell God where you drifted. He already knows, but confession opens and softens your heart.
- Reignite communion. Start small, read one psalm a day, worship in silence, take prayer walks and talk to God again.
- Refocus your why. Remember why you started — that first “yes” that drew you closer to Him.
- Rest in grace. God is not looking for perfection; He desires presence.
Reflection
- When did I feel closest to God, and what has changed since then?
- What distractions have taken the place of intimacy?
- How can I make space this week to simply be with Him?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for loving me first.
Forgive me for the times I’ve drifted away or allowed the noise of life to drown out Your voice. Draw me back to You. Rekindle the fire of my first love and help me to delight in You again, not out of duty, but from a heart that truly knows and loves You. Amen.
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