“Jealous of the one whose arms are around you if she’s/he’s keeping you satisfied… La la la la la la la… She’s/He’s a very, very lucky girl/boy….”
What if one day Jesus sits beside you and sings this song? What would you possibly feel? And what if He’ll tell you these…
“Child, I allowed you to be fired at work because you love it more than you love Me.”
“I have to let a virus get in to your computer because you spend more time on Facebook, Twitter, and games than spending more time with Me.”
“Beloved, I let your relationship with your boyfriend/girlfriend come to an end because you never think of Me like how you think of him/her.”
Then you’ll see your confessed “Lord and Savior” Jesus cry. Wouldn’t you feel so special and so loved? I bet He won’t say these if He doesn’t want YOU.
“God takes away everything that becomes your first love.” I forgot where I got this but it got stuck in my whole being and up to now this is tried and tested. Let me share you my story…
When I was in high school I did my very best in order to be qualified to take the college entrance exam of my dream university. I studied harder, doubled my school load and tried so hard to be worthy of the title, “achiever” and “bread winner.” And yes, I excelled in school, graduated with honors, and was qualified to take the college entrance exam, but failed to pass it. I have the “title,” yet my joy was not complete.
I got depressed and felt that it’s my end. I was thinking of what my family would say—knowing that they are so proud of me and very confident that I’ll be on top. I was afraid of the label: “not good enough.” From the start I know that it’s not the school that’ll make me successful, though; but rather, it mattered to me so much because it matters to the world. On that single moment I totally forgot that I am not created for this world but for Christ.
I got obsessed on the idea of being there. I was so into it that it became my first love. On the other hand, God wants me to be “so into Him.” And so He had to take it away because He wants me; He is jealous for me.
*Jealous – (adj) solicitous or vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.
The Lord is zealous when it comes to us—His creations. He loves us with so much more than what we know or could ever imagine. And just like any lover, He wants to be the ONLY ONE in our lives and in our hearts.
“The problem isn’t that you don’t want to serve God. Most of you do want to serve God. That’s not the problem. The problem is that you want to serve God…and your girlfriends, and yourselves, and your parents, and your pride, and your grades, and your jobs. How can you serve your God if you’re also serving everything else?” -Pastor Gordon Huang, What is Worship? (via Tumblr)
We cannot love God the way we love other people or like the things which are important to us. He should be the FIRST and THE ONLY ONE. He deserves it and He deserves you, me, and everything that makes us. I believe that Jesus is not happy when He takes some things that are important to us. However, because He knows that He is the only Source of our complete joy He takes away temporary joys—which most probably end up in bankruptcy. God is so gracious that He wants us to experience the real and permanent while we’re still here on earth. He wants us to experience Him…completely.
Friends, what I am saying to you may be very basic but actually, we tend to lose our grip into these “basics.” Most of the times (knowingly or unknowingly), we get so attached with our ministries but we forget to be attached with our King. Let us remember that “to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength” (Matthew 22:37) is not an option but rather a command, the first and greatest command given by Jesus. And honestly, it is a privilege for us to be chosen to do that.
Take time to think of the things that matters to you most. Take time to know if they have become your first love. Again, the Lord wants you and He smiles when He knows that your heart beats for Him—and Him alone. It’s time to ask ourselves who is our first love—is it our work, our school, our partner, our money or our ministry? Isn’t the answer supposed to be our King?
The Lord delights with what we are doing for Him and for sure He’ll reward us accordingly. But is not God delighted most when our hearts beat for Him? Or when we think about Him and speak a lot about Him? The Lord wants you and He deserves you. Let us go back to our First Love and the First who loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) so that our joy may be complete.
God bless you abundantly!
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