intimacy with Jesus – Larus Press

Remembering our first love

Busy, I’ve been so busy lately….. I must remember my first love: He is here! He has been here all along. My first love is here, but I realise in my busyness, I moved away a little.

In Revelations 2, Jesus commends the work of the church at Ephesus. But he has one thing against them… They have lost their first love — ie forgotten they love Him and that’s why they are doing the works which they are doing.

“Abide…..”

We must abide in Him, just as He abides in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14). To abide is to hold onto, to hold closely, to hold dearly. Then we will not forget him, our first love.

God’s jobs for me

I am enriched by GOD’s challenges. As He is entrusting me with greater responsibility, I am celebrating how much He loves and gives to me, fulfils me and enriches me — and others with whom I engage as I share the wisdom He has given to me. I pour into their lives and it is such a rich blessing.

BUT today as I make space just for Jesus, I come back to him, my first love, without even realising I’d gone away.

I’ve never lost sight of my Lord, of walking in His grace, of keeping my eye on him and not the storm… And yet, as I drew close to him today (as I have been for decades and especially in recent months), as I drew close to him today, it was as if fresh water had been splashed gently upon me. To be with him was – is – so refreshing. I am reminded of Revelations 2: Jesus’ letter to the Ephesians — people who were dedicated and busy for him, but they had lost their first love, their love for him. And I relate,

“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place—unless you repent.” (Revelations 2:2-6)

If we don’t abide, if we don’t take time, if we are fired up and motivated and moving for Jesus, but don’t seek him dearly, truly, and deeply every day, how easy it is to drift away.

Moving from him is subtle. Abiding enables us to stay close.

There is no condemnation here, only a tweak of guidance: it’s so easy to drift. Stay close. Keep drawing from him. Hold onto your first love. And finally we keep our eyes on him, and not on the storm.

Shalom and GOD bless,

Sarah

Expectancy

We must believe, as we wait for the Lord to bring His presence to us, that He will come.

He loves faith. He wants intimacy with us. We must believe He will come, and we must make room for him.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Hallelujah. Today, I made room and He came. Oh, what wonderful peace His presence brings.

Those with faith, bless you. Those who know the presence, wonderful. To those with faith who have never experienced His presence, how amazing the faith you have:

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

“The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon me…” (Isaiah 61:1) He calls us now to follow Him, to love Him, to experience the divine presence of Him.

Will we make room?

“Trust in the LORD with ALL your heart and lean not on your understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5) He will come, He will abide when we abide. Give Him time, give him room, and give Him your faith. He will come.

In Romans 8, Paul dwells on the Spirit of GOD, expressing that life springs from the Spirit, not the flesh. And to be with Christ, we must be in the Spirit for, “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (v 11)

How are we like the Hebrews?

Throughout Exodus, as the Hebrews wandered through the desert, some had faith, some had very little. Some trusted GOD, many rebelled. Will we continue to wait for Jesus, regardless of how long he takes to come to us, to answer our prayers? Or will we grow impatient, create a god with our own hands, give up on expecting a deeper and deeper relationship?

“He who waits upon the LORD will renew his strength… He will mount up with wings like eagles, he will run and not grow weary, he will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Hallelujah. Believe, Trust, Wait. He longs to be with you. Do you long to be with Him?

We who love Jesus and follow him, follow in faith. But he came that we might have life and more abundantly. Then he left us, to allow his power to rest within us. If we have faith but not the presence of the Lord, then we have faith in Jesus without his power. We need him: we need his presence. Oh Lord how we yearn for you. Hallelujah, you come.

Sarah xx