2.6 - The Rest of the Remedy

Today’s Readings: Col 3.1-4; Rev 2.1-7, 4.1-11; I Jn 5.7; Ps 119.89; Isa 6; Eph 3.14-15

Today we will be looking at the conclusion of God’s REMEDY to LOSING our FIRST LOVE from Rev 2.5. Before we get there, let’s remember one thing. Sometimes, the REMEDY leaves an AWFUL TASTE in our mouth. Just because it is good for us does not mean it won’t taste like we are drinking motor oil in the process. Just as that is true of physical remedies like cough syrup, often the same is true of spiritual remedies. Isn’t that the way it usually is, the things that are the best for us are the things that are the hardest to go through?

We’ve seen before that the first step God gives us in returning to our FIRST LOVE is to (1) REMEMBER where we’ve fallen from, which has been the focus of our devotions for the last 2 days.

The next step in God’s remedy for our situation, is to (2) REPENT. Now if there was ever a term we American Christians do not like to hear, it is REPENT! We don’t like to be told we are wrong, and that we need to change something. Do you remember when John the Baptist appeared on the scene in John 1-3? His message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” What he was saying, is that the Kingdom God had been promising was just around the corner, and in order for people to prepare to enter that kingdom, they need to REPENT from their way, and TURN to God’s way. There is a connection between REPENTING and TURNING that we cannot overlook. To REPENT from something simply means that we TURN AWAY from that thing, and TURN TOWARD it’s opposite. For example, if I wanted to REPENT from going south on the highway, I would bust a U-turn and head NORTH. That is as simple as it gets. God is telling us that the next thing we need to do, once we REMEMBER where we came from and REALIZE the new (incorrect) direction in which we are headed, we simply TURN BACK to that original direction, that FIRST LOVE.

The last, and very simple step that God gives us is (3) REPEAT. I actually like the words He uses much better, but we use that for alliteration. God’s words to them are, “DO THE FIRST WORKS” which means to DO THE WORKS you did when you FIRST were in LOVE with God. That’s pretty short and sweet isn’t it? In our culture, this is a concept we seem to lose in the mix most times, the JUST DO IT factor that is. I can remember my father teaching me as a young man that, “…sometimes you just have grit your teeth and get through it…” That is so true. There are things in life that are hard, that are no fun, and that you wish were different, but that doesn’t change the facts. And truly, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. The easy thing to do is for us to stop before STEP 3. We REMEMBER what it was like “back then” and we mentally REPENT of the ways we have chosen since then, only to fall short of actually REPEATING or DOING THOSE FIRST WORKS AGAIN. I pray this will not be the case with us today. I pray God will give us the discipline we need to JUST DO IT, and move on our way getting back to Him.

To conclude today, let’s take those steps to the REMEDY and apply them to what we learned are the “THINGS ABOVE” Wednesday night. Here are those four things again, and then there will be a fill-in-the-blank below to help guide us in our evaluation of our spiritual temperature this morning…

1. The Person of God (I Jn 5.7)
2. The Word of God (Ps 119.89)
3. The Throne of God (Isa 6, Rev 4)
4. The Family of God (Eph 3.14-15)

Now, let’s evaluate for the REMEDY just fill in the blanks with the four THINGS ABOVE listed here…

“How was my love for the _____ of God when I was first saved? (REMEMBER) What is in my life today that keeps me from having that same kind of first love for the _____ of God, and what do I need to turn away from in order to get back there? (REPENT) What can I do today to show that I am serious about loving and seeking the ____ of God? (REPEAT)”

Fri 2.5 - Getting Into You

Today’s Readings: Colossians 2.6,  3.1; Revelation 2.1-7; 2 Cor 4

We have been talking about getting that FIRST LOVE back in our lives for the last few days. Yesterday we saw the first step in God’s formula to return to that FIRST LOVE kind of LOVE FOR HIM, which was to (1) REMEMBER where we’d fallen from. Today, we’ll look a little further at this idea of REMEMBERING, and then tomorrow we’ll move into step two and three of God’s Formula. 

I’d like everyone to take a second and look at this picture to the right with the same jealousy I am looking at it with. This picture is Awesome! (wink) I would totally frame it and put it on my desk to stare at everyday if I was a picture printing kind of guy. But let me explain why this is so awesome. I will bet that Geraldine & Jethro over there wish this picture was burned up, and probably wish even more that it wasn’t on the Internet for some smart alec youth pastor to use as an illustration. You know, even though I’m sure this picture is embarrassing to them, it shouldn’t be. It should serve all of us a great REMINDER of what that FIRST LOVE  is like.

I can just imagine the hours Geraldine spent getting that poof on her head just right. Two cans of hair spray, and three hours were worth every bit when Jethro walked into her living room that night. I can imagine how she and her mother Bedazzled each one of those beads on her dress to make sure she was the Bell of the Ball that night, giving Jethro the beautiful date a guy like him deserved. I bet some things she was wearing were uncomfortable for her (pantie hose for example) but she wore them with pride because it was all for HER MAN!

Now let’s not forget all that Jethro would have put into this night. I mean, the guy is going out with Geraldine…and she deserves the only the best. He probably went through a whole tube of hair grease to get that middle part thing happening just right. Not to mention that he broke out his dad’s tux that night…a little cologne would cover the musty closet smell just fine - good as new he thought. I can see Jethro shining those shoes until he could see his reflection in them, to the point that his elbows were sore from sliding that brush back and forth, over and over.

You see, what’s so AWESOME about this picture, is that it is clear that this night, on their big date, they wanted to make sure and be their best for each other. Their LOVE caused them to ACT DIFFERENT than they normally would because they knew that they were going to be spending the night with the OBJECT OF THEIR AFFECTION.

That FIRST LOVE will make you do crazy things, won’t it? It will make you wear puffy 80’s dresses, it will make you stay on the phone for 3 hours later than you normally want to, it will make you drive all over the country just to spend a few minutes together, it will even cause other relationships in your life to lessen to make room for that FIRST LOVE relationship. In the same way that we’ve been talking about FIRST LOVE in the case of Geraldine and Jethro above, we could talk about ours with God. He wants us to GET ALL DECKED OUT because we know we are going to be spending time with Him. God wants us to put on our BIG PUFFY DRESS for Him…spiritually speaking of course (gentlemen, He doesn’t actually want you in a puffy dress!) Even if the things that we need to do to “look our best” spiritually are things that make us uncomfortable (like wearing a tie, or hose, or heals, or those stiff tux shoes) we do it without hesitation because when we look good, He looks good!

Check out Paul’s words in 2 Cor 4. He goes through this list of things that he has faced in vv.8-15, there’s some pretty rough stuff he is referring to there. Then in vv.16-17 he says all of that stuff doesn’t matter. EVEN THOUGH HIS OUTWARD MAN IS BEING KILLED MORE AND MORE EACH DAY, HIS INNER MAN IS BEING RENEWED AND STRENGTHENED. WOW! And how is that possible??? Because in v.18 he says his focus is on ETERNAL things, not TEMPORARY things. He is SEEKING the THINGS ABOVE, and SETTING HIS AFFECTION on the THINGS ABOVE, not on the THINGS OF THE EARTH! Again, WOW! Check out how he says it. Paul says the things that happen against him on this earth are “BUT FOR A MOMENT” and there are things that are “FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY.” He is saying there are things that will matter A LOT more and they will be ETERNAL in nature, ultimately being GLORIOUS for out God! Again, all I can say is WOW! And what are those things that are an ETERNAL WEIGHT? The things that “ARE NOT SEEN” (v.18). 

It may be a good idea to conclude your time with God today by simply taking some notes on what things were like when you were first saved. What was that FIRST LOVE like? What were the FIRST WORKS that you did when you had that FIRST LOVE? How was your desire for HOLINESS? How did you determine what truly mattered and what was not important? How was your FOCUS on ETERNAL things and not on EARTHLY things? How has that changed over time? Let’s ask God for the strength we need to HUNGER TO BE HUNGRY for Him!

For further reflection, click hereto see the lyrics of the song Zach sang during invitation Wednesday night, and think about what the song writer is saying. The message is so powerful!

Thur 2.4 - Coming Back is sometimes the hardest part

Today’s Readings: Col 3.1; Revelation 2.1-7; 2 Kings 6.1-7

Yesterday, we looked into the familiar passage in Revelation 2 about leaving our FIRST LOVE. Last night at the Fridge we just briefly looked at how there is a difference in LEAVING and LOSING something, and yet at the same time how it is possible for something that has been LEFT  to seem/feel like it has been LOST. Today, let’s look at that passage in light of an unfamiliar OT passage that comes from 2 kings 6.

Now, remember that we have established through the IF-THEN clause (or conditional clause for those English experts out there.) that Colossians 3.1 teaches us that our RISEN LIFE (salvation) in Jesus should mean there are something things that are different now (refer to study 2.2 for more on that). So, we began at our Mid-Week service at the Fridge to simply talk about some of those things that God says should be different. The very first thing He brings out is that we should “SEEK THE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE” and so, we spent last night looking at a few of those things that are above.

We know some of those things that are above from the service last night, but here in the devotions I want to focus a little more on the SEEKING part of that verse. Yesterday’s devotion looked at how some people can LEAVE that FIRST LOVE kind of love and not even realize it because they are doing all the right things. Let’s focus on the first part of the REMEDY that God gives us in Revelation 2 to get that first love back. He says in verse 5 “REMEMBER THEREFORE FROM WHENCE THOU ART FALLEN…” We could say it like this, remember what you have left and realize the condition you are in. This idea kind of reminds me of that “AA” meeting thing…”the first step to getting help is admitting you have a problem.” How true that is. 

Let’s use our passage in 2 Kings 6 to illustrate this principal. In 2 Kings, the building the prophets were staying in wasn’t large enough for hold all the people they were adding to their group, so they needed to build a bigger place. In the process, a guy’s axe falls apart in the middle of chopping down a tree. The AXE HEAD falls into the water, and of course being metal, it sinks down. Now, when this guy realizes what happened, he freaks out! He cries “Alas master! for it was borrowed.” (now let me just stop right there and compare the truth to our lives. We are like the axe handle, just a dead piece of wood, you could bang it against a tree all day and never cut anything down. But there is a power and ability that comes on us through God’s Holy Spirit at salvation that does all the WORK for us as the axe handle is swung, the axe head does all the hard work. That particular axe was borrowed…it didn’t belong to him. Neither does the HOLY SPIRIT belong to us, it is on loan to us until the day we are redeemed as the bride of Christ - 2 Cor 1.22). Ok, so when this guy REALIZES that he had lost the thing that was allowing him to do the work, and just swinging a big stick, what does the MAN OF GOD ask him to help him find his axe head (power) again? “WHERE FELL IT?” He says, where did you leave it? Have you ever lost something, and gone to your parents panicking and they ask you, “Now, where was the last place you saw it?” …that’s exactly the point.

In our effort to FIND OUR FIRST LOVE AGAIN, we are going to have to spend some time figuring out where we lost it. Now, I will go a head and warn you, that is no fun. It is a time when we reflect on our failures and see the things we’ve done to lose our love…and it can hurt. It is, however, so very worth the pain! Because that is a pain that will bring healing. I remember when I had surgery a few years ago…the next few days hurt so much more than it did before the surgery, but in a few more days, the pain was basically gone and I felt a great deal better than I did before the surgery.

For further study & thought: take some time to reflect on Jesus’ words in Matt 22.34-40. Why did He say that was the GREATEST commandment? How is verse 40 true? How should that effect our understanding of Colossians 3.1-2?

Wed 2.3 - Seeking that First Love

Today’s Reading: Colossians 1.4-6, 20-21; 2.12-15, 20-23; 3.1-2, Revelation 2.1-7 

Tonight we are going to be looking into Colossians 3, and hearing from God about the things HE desires that we pursue, or chase after in life. You can click above and read the text of these verese in 3.1-2. As we saw yesterday, since we are now RISEN WITH CHRIST we are supposed to be doing some things differently. And I hope we all realized that doing things the worlds way (the old way) is pointless because everything that we can gain from the world can either be eaten, broken, or stolen and really has no long term benefit. But, TREASURES IN HEAVEN DO.

Today, let’s begin to prapare our hearts for the message tonight by remembering a time past in our lives. Do you remember when you first became a believer and follower of Jesus Christ? You would do anything for Him, wouldn’t you? I remember scrolling through every name in my cell phone to make sure everyone knew that my life now belonged to God. Maybe you have been around one of your friends when they had just discovered that guy/girl and they were sure this person was to be the love of their life. Every 5 minutes your conversation drifted back to how great he/she was, how beautiful their eyes were, how sweet they were, how they were “perfect in every way”. And while your friend is going on and on about Mr./Ms. Wonderful, you are puking your guts out with irritation.

Everyone has seen that excitement before. Most of us have experienced it. It’s called FIRST LOVE. What’s so cool about it, is that it is something that even God Himself talks about. In Revelation 2.1-7 Jesus Christ is talking to a church at a place called Ephesus. Let’s ask God to show us a few key truths in this passage and help us apply them to our hearts this morning. Here are some guidelines for us to think along…

#1 - THEY WERE DOING LOTS OF GOOD STUFF.Check out all the GREAT things God says about them in Revelation 2.1-3, 6. Man, I hope and pray that those very same things could be said about our church and ESPECIALLY our youth group here at Grace. They were hard workers, they were patient with others, they took a stand for TRUTH when others around them did not!, and they were in it for the long haul - they wanted it to be a lifetime of walking with God. God even says they shared the same hates. These people hated the same things God hates!!! AWESOME!

#2 - THEY LEFT THEIR FIRST LOVE. Now you may be thinking, “where did that bombshell come in 2.4-5?” Well, that helps us understand that even IF we are DOING all the right things, and even sometimes with the right MOTIVE, we can still begin to do it without that FIRST LOVE for HIM that we had when we were saved. And yet, that FIRST LOVE is exactly what God wanted from us to begin with. Do you realize that God saved you SO THAT YOU COULD HAVE A MEANINGFUL LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM??? That’s His purpose for your life. To fall more and more in love with Him, and to lead others to do the same! It’s that simple.

#3 - THEY DID NOT LOSE THEIR FIRST LOVE. There is a difference between LOSING something and LEAVING something. I could use the example of your wallet. If you show up to school one day and realize that you LEFT your wallet at home, no sweat right? I mean, you may not be able to get that coke from the vending machine between classes, but the world is definately not coming to an end. You may even be able to visualize in your head right where it is laying on your dresser, or in your car. However, if you get to homeroom and realize that you LOST your wallet, and have no idea where it could be, PANIC!!! Am I right? God did not tell these people that they LOST their FIRST LOVE for Him, just that they had LEFT IT. So, when you leave something, what do you do? You go get it. In verse 5 God gives them a very simple solution for finding the LOVE they had LEFT. I would encourage you to look at that remedy in preperation for the service tonight!

I am looking forward to seeing you all tonight. I pray that God will begin to open your hearts and prepare your ears to hear the Word of God! I am so EXCITED about what God is doing in our youth group! I can’t wait to see how He uses this study of DIRECTIONS to bring us back to our FIRST LOVE of Him!!!

If you have any questions or comments, please post them as a comment to this devotion and I will get back with you.

Tue 2.2 - If…Then…

Today’s Reading: Colossians 3.1-4, Ephesians 4.1-16

Do you remember learning the IF/THEN clause a few years ago in English class? It’s the one where a statement is depending on a condition. IF this is true, THEN this is true also. An example would be something like, “IF it is cold outside, THEN you need to wear your coat.” Pretty simple. Nothing too complicated is it?

Well, we actually see Paul using this kind of language in Colossians 3. Take just a minute and re-read those first 4 verses of that chapter. Do you see how he starts all of that off with the qualifier, “IF”? IF YOU ARE RISEN WITH CHRIST, then there are some things that should be true of your life. Again, pretty simple.

Honestly, I think that this idea of a CHANGE taking place in our lives is one we all understand, and one that we all agree with. However, what we seem to struggle with is making that to be true for us. We may KNOW that something is right, or true, but we DO NOTHING about it. Do you remember when we talked about the difference in KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM a couple days ago? You can know something, but until you act upon it, whatever you know really doesn’t matter. If you know the stove is very hot, but you still touch it, does your knowledge of the stove being hot really matter? Exactly.

There are many things that we could talk about under this heading. IF we are children of God, THEN things are supposed to be different. For today, let’s just look at what is said here in Colossians and compare that to some other scripture in Ephesians 4. Here in Colossians 3.1-2, we see a basic guide for living life as someone “risen with Christ”. What are we to do?

#1 - SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE. Well, that sounds good but how do I do that? Do you remember that famous sermon on the mount that Jesus delivered in Matthew? Well, towards the end of Matthew 6, He mentions how pointless the pursuit of earthly things is. Moths eat stuff. Rust corrupts stuff. Thieves steal stuff. So, no STUFF is worth our efforts. What is worth our efforts are the TREASURES IN HEAVEN that He talks about, and what Paul says here when he speaks of those THINGS ABOVE. We will spend some time at the Fridge taking a look at some of those things we are to be pursuing, those things above. Right now, you could spend some time doing that yourself. Look at the life God describes that is different in that IF/THEN clause today. Are those the kind of things that are seen in your life? Would your closest friends say those things are part of who you are? I hope so. But if not, the hope in Jesus is that they can be! That’s where #2 comes in.

#2 - SET YOUR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE. Let me use this illustration (and I know it’s a little off, but work with me.) If you and I were watching TV together, and I said, “Hey man, it’s 9.00 and American Gladiators is coming on, SET IT TO CHANNEL 6.” You would know what I meant wouldn’t you? I mean for you to take the remote control and MOVE THE TV STATION to show American Gladiators. You would push some buttons that control what comes out of the TV and cause it to show something different. Another example would be if I asked you to SET THE THERMOSTAT to a different temperature because I was cold. You would adjust it so that the environment in the house would change. In the same way, we are to SET THE AFFECTION OF OUR HEARTS on the things of God. How do we do that? Simply through the Worship of God and the Word of God. As we Worship through our prayers, ministry, etc…we are adjusting our lives to fit His desires (THINGS ABOVE) and we are getting into the Word daily to find out just what those THINGS ABOVE ARE! We cannot know the things above until we see what God says those things are, and we do that in the Word of God.

Let’s close out our time together today with a quick note for you. I have added a page at the top there where you can click on  “BIBLE TOOLS” and it will show you some links to websites that provide Bible study tools to help you as you study the Word of God. Of course, this should NEVER replace you holding a copy of the Bible in your hands, but it can be a good help to you as you study!

May God speak to our hearts today and tomorrow as we prepare for the service on Wednesday night. May our hearts be opened to God’s giving us direction for our lives from His word at the Fridge this week, and may we be ready to do whatever He leads us to that will help us to SET OUR AFFECTION on things above and CHANGE OUR PURSUITS to those things above.