Renewal of Your First Love..Craig Denison Ministries

 Renewal of Your First Love

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

One of the best aspects of spending time alone with God is being renewed daily by his word and presence. When we make space for God in our lives, especially at the beginning of the day, he is faithful to renew and prepare us for all we will face out in the world. Scripture says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Where do you need renewal? How greatly do you need God’s mercies in your life? He has a plan this week to both teach and guide you into an encounter with him that will renew you with his overwhelming goodness and love. Make space for God. Make time to encounter him. And experience the refreshing spring rain he longs to bring to heal the dry and weary places of your heart.

Scripture:“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4

Devotional:    

Out of God’s great desire to be truly loved by his people, we have been given the gift of free will to choose who and what we will give our affections to. God, knowing full well that not all of us would  choose to love him, still created us out of his longing for close relationship with us. You see, so great is our heavenly Father’s desire for relationship with us that he suffers as he watches his children choose to love people, ideas, and possessions that will never fully love us in return. So great is his love for us that he responds to our sin of idolatry with grace and mercy every single time. And so vast is his affection for us that he sent his only Son so that we might be restored to close relationship with our heavenly Father once again. But still, we choose to love things other than God. Still we seek out satisfaction and love from creation rather than the Creator. Still we choose to place our hope and affections in the world instead of in God. If we are to live the life God intends for us, the only fulfilling life possible, we need a renewal of our first love.

Thousands of years ago, the church in Ephesus was much like we are today. Revelation 2:4 says in reference to the church in Ephesus, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” The Ephesians were still working and waiting for God. They hadn’t abandoned their faith, just their first love. But Scripture makes it clear that when it comes down to it in the end, what will be most important is the way in which we have loved God. When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). Loving God is our first priority. Our love for God is the foundation on which all of life is to be lived. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” This life is all about the posture of your heart.

Reflect for a minute on just how incredible the love of our God is. Scripture makes it clear that he isn’t after our service first, but our love. He only desires us to work with him if it is done out of our love for him. If we prophesy, show incredible acts of faith, or even give up our lives for him out of anything but love, he calls it “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” God is after your heart. More than anything else in the world, he wants to love you and be loved by you. Of course he wants you to co-labor with him and obey his commandments, but only out of love for him. Yes, he wants you to lead others to him, but out of the desire to share the incredible love you’ve been shown. Too often we size up our relationship with God based on how often we’ve gone to church, how many mission trips we’ve been on, how many people we’ve won to Jesus, how many committees we’ve served on, or how much of our finances we’ve given to God. And too often we do all of that trying to win over a God who already loves us more than we could ever ask or imagine. God is the father in the prodigal son story running out to meet you and celebrate you regardless of anything you’ve ever done or will do. He’s the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one. He’s the God who leaves his throne to die for the very people who shouted, “Crucify him, crucify him!” And he’s the God who waits patiently every day to show you the depth of his love, that nothing you could ever do will change the way he loves you.

Nothing could be more important than living your life on the foundation of God’s greatest commandment: to love him. And while it’s incredibly important to spend your life loving God, he knows you will only be able to do so if you’ve encountered his love first. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” Experiencing God’s love is the beginning and end to everything we do as his children. It’s out of encountering the affections of our heavenly Father that our hearts will be stirred to love him back. Let’s take time today to encounter the love of our heavenly Father and let his kindness draw us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Encounter the heart of God, and let his love renew within you your first love.           

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s love for you as revealed in his word. Receive his presence. Let him speak his love straight to your heart.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39

2. Reflect on your own life. Where do you seem to chase after the affections of the world before God? What idols are in your own heart? Who or what do you love more than God?

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4

3. Ask the Lord to heal those places of your heart. Be drawn to repentance from God’s kindness. Repent to him the places where you’ve idolized someone or something. Receive the healing that happens when you confess your sins.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

The Bible is clear that God will always forgive our sins as believers. His heart is always for restoration. He always desires to lead us to a life where our hearts are in no way veiled before him. Idols and sin tie us down to the world in ways that keep us from the fullness of relationship available in God. Engage in the act of confession. Spend time consistently giving your sin over to God, and receive the healing and renewal he longs to bring you. May your day be filled with peace as the result of God’s forgiveness, nearness, and loving-kindness.

Extended Reading: 1 Corinthians 13

The Rooms Your Thoughts Need To Visit.. TRACIE MILES

 March 21, 2023

The Rooms Your Thoughts Need To Visit
TRACIE MILES 

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

Although we are already a few months into the new year, I can’t help but remember how this past holiday season was different for me — in more ways than one. I was tempted to let my thoughts linger in rooms in my mind that ushered in sadness rather than joy.

Last summer, I moved from the house my family and I had lived in for 25 years into a smaller home. It had been seven years since my marriage ended and my husband left, and it was time to move on. But oh my goodness, it was hard on my heart.

It was a huge, tear-filled adjustment to leave behind our family home and be in a new, unfamiliar house for the first time in my adult life, especially as the holiday season approached. In addition, two of my children got married last year, which, although an immense blessing, meant even more changes for me as a single mom and for our family Christmas plans and traditions.

One day in early December, as I found myself focusing on how much life had changed and secretly mourning the way things used to be, God spoke to my heart with a life-changing thought:

We have a choice as to which rooms in our minds we allow ourselves to mentally walk into. The mental rooms where we let our thoughts linger will always determine our joy.

You see, our minds are filled with “rooms” of memories. Some rooms we’d rather never visit, yet we do. Rooms filled with memories of grief, heartbreak and loss. Rooms filled with seasons gone by and days we wish we could get back or do over. Rooms filled with memories of the past that look much different than the present. Rooms filled with unfulfilled desires, unmet expectations or loneliness.

But there are also those rooms where we love to let our minds linger. Rooms that hold fond memories, special occasions, special people, special times. Rooms filled with thoughts of beloved family and friends, God-ordained blessings, hope, and so much more.

I had to switch directions in my mind and choose which room my thoughts would visit the most.

That one small decision was a game changer.

The Bible talks often about how powerful our thoughts are. (Romans 8:5-6; Romans 12:2) Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Who wants a heart void of cheer? Who wants to feel like their spirit is crushed? Who wants to be bone tired from the inside out? Who longs to feel sad and stuck in the past all the time? Who wants to mourn what we don't have anymore instead of embracing and enjoying all the blessings we do have?

Certainly not me! And I feel confident you don’t either. Instead, we can choose positive thoughts that will always steer us toward those rooms in our minds that bring us joy.

Each morning after God revealed this to me, as I arose from my bed to the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, I began to mentally run into those rooms filled with beautiful memories, gratitude and blessings. I opened the doors to see the beauty God has allowed me to enjoy in each season of my life, which helped me shift my focus from what is no longer to all the blessings in the present and to come.

You can do the same today! Slam shut the doors to all those rooms that threaten to steal your joy, and commit not to let your thoughts creep into them. Ask God to capture each thought that tries to pull you back into sadness, and run headfirst into your room full of joyful and happy thoughts.

Focusing on our blessings instead of our burdens takes intentionality, but it will change our lives for the better.

Dear Lord, please help me be aware of when I’m letting my mind linger in a room that is causing me angst instead of joy. Guide my thoughts into those rooms where blessings and abundance reside, and help me make a habit of choosing optimism in the present rather than longing over the past. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Recognizing God's Handiwork..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Recognizing God's Handiwork

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 33:3-11

The work God does is creative. He made heaven, earth, and all living creatures. He formed Adam and Eve in His image and knitted each of us in our mother's womb.

His work is also powerful. Through His Son Jesus, He accomplished a great salvation for all who trust in the Savior. Our heavenly Father worked mightily to open a way for us to be reconciled to Him and adopted into His family. Not only that, but God's work is ongoing, and Jesus is the One who holds all things together (Col. 1:17).

In order to recognize God's handiwork, we need to pray in an active, persistent manner. Christ-centered prayers narrow our focus to the Lord. Then we can more readily identify His actions and see how to join Him. Self-centered petitions serve to distract us from Him.

The Father also wants our heart and mind yielded to His will. Pursuing our own agenda shifts the focus to ourselves and makes us lose sight of the Lord. But a submissive attitude prepares us to listen and obey. Regularly concentrating on God's Word will clear our minds and help us understand what the Lord is doing.

When we combine these disciplines with discernment and patience, we will have positioned ourselves to discover how God is working in our lives and in our world.

Our Lord is at work today--calling nonbelievers to saving faith and the redeemed to a closer walk with Him. His plans include individuals, families, and nations. Have you been too busy or distracted to notice what He's doing? Confess your inattention and refocus your heart and mind on Him.

What It Means that Christ Died for God's Elect..Jonathan Gibson

 What It Means that Christ Died for God's Elect

By Jonathan Gibson

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”  - Romans 8:29-30

Christ's Death Really Did Atone for Sin

I think a helpful way to understand the doctrine of definite atonement is that in the death of Jesus Christ, the triune God intended to achieve the redemption of every person given to the Son by the Father in eternity past and to apply the accomplishments of his salvation to each of them by his Spirit.

In other words, the death of Christ was intended to achieve the redemption of God's people alone. But not only was it intended to do that, it actually achieved it as well. So, in a nutshell, Jesus will be true to his name, he will save his people from their sins.

In the phrase definite atonement, the adjective definite does double duty. The death of Christ is definite in its intent. Christ died in order to redeem a specific group of people, his elect. And it's definite in its nature. Christ's death really will atone for his people's sins.

A Prayer for God to Answer..Tiffany Thibault

 A Prayer for God to Answer

By Tiffany Thibault

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Psalm 3:3-4

I love that this Bible verse starts with the word “but.” Though such a little word, it refers back to situations that are overwhelming the writer, to the trouble he was having with his enemies, and to the absolute hopelessness of his being able to survive just one more thing. 

Instead of despairing about his troubles, and then sinking into a deeper depression, he begins to speak truth into his life. He focuses his next words on the only one who can help him. The Lord. He says: “But you, O Lord, are…” He reminds himself of who alone can help him—the Lord. 

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me. The Lord is a protecting shield to us in our daily battles. Our enemy, Satan, is using anything and anyone he can to try to wear us down, to make our life difficult, and to destroy us. But the Lord is our shield. Ephesians 6:16 tells us: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith.” Our faith in the Lord is the shield that will protect us. Cling to this truth, and tightly hold onto your faith as you face your battles. 

But you, O Lord, are my glory. It is the Lord who is his glory. It is the Lord who gives his life meaning. It is the Lord alone who makes him significant. It isn't the fact that this writer is the King of Israel, or that he has palaces, prestige or has many children. It is the Lord alone. In our lives today, in this modern world, it isn't fame, money, relationships or social standing that gives us value, but it is the Lord alone and his presence in our life that truly gives us significance.  

But you, O Lord, are the lifter of my head. All too often, so much is thrown at us that our head just naturally bows down from its weight. Our hearts become heavy and we struggle to find the positive in our lives and thoughts. It is in times such as these that we must remind ourselves that it is the Lord alone who is the lifter of our head. He is the only one who can give us hope in the darkness, and the only one who can strengthen us as we trudge through our weary times. 

But you, O Lord, answer me. How encouraging to remind ourselves that the Lord answers us. He answers us in truth, which ignites our faith, and gives hope to our future as we wait on Him to move in powerful ways in every area of our needs. 

So as we go through our day, may we rest in this truth: the Lord is our shield, our glory, the lifter of our head, and He will hear our every cry and He will answer. We must speak these words of truth and strengthen our faith based on our understanding of who God is and how He has helped us in the past.  

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, 
Thank you for the words of this verse. Thank you that you are my protection, my meaning for living, my hope giver in the midst of my struggles. Thank you that I can cry out to you and that you hear my prayer, that you listen to my words, and that you answer my cry to you. I love you Lord. I will cling to the promise of these words and move forward in my day resting in your protection, in my significance to you and in the hope that you fill my heart with. Flood me with your peace and open my eyes to opportunities to share the truth of this scripture with those around me. 
In your name I pray, Amen