Remember your first love? That heart palpitating experience of seeing, talking with, or even thinking of that special person? Your mind is focused on the lovely person of your affection, you find their quirks amusing, and you see that person as they can be rather than as they are in their current very ordinary state. Ain’t love grand?

Revelation 2 reminds us of another first love. It cautions us to not forsake the love we had at first; both love for Christ and for each other. As we work our way through these tumultuous days, let’s help each other remember love.

Our Dear Heavenly Father,

When we sit in Your presence and just rest in it; sensing Your Spirit, knowing Your love in a palpable way, all is well. And we know that is the way You meant it to be: for us to be in You and You in us and love permeating the atmosphere. We want it always.

Help us to hold on to that, Father. During days of frustration and discouragement and whatever else, whether good or bad, we want to first spend time with You. We do not want to lose that precious time when Your presence is very near. It is breath to us. It is life to us.

And when we’re with fellow Christians during those times when we are all in one accord, it’s a taste of heaven. We all know it. We can feel it. We care about what’s going going each other’s lives and we share our own. We raise our voices in song to You in a beautiful offering of praise, and it fills us with indescribable joy.

Despite disagreements we find ourselves in these days, help us, oh dear Lord help us to not lose our love for each other. Help us to live out our love for You. You are love; but we are weak, and we find ourselves swimming in a lake of disagreement. It’s easy to lose our love for each other – that sweet love You teach us when we’re in Your presence. So please help us during these days to discipline ourselves to love despite the pull of disunity from disagreement. Help our love to cover a multitude of wrongs. Before we do anything else, help us to first – love!

In Jesus Name

Amen

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