Devotional: Love, How to Protect it | Pastor Ron Kelly

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Devotional

Love, How to Protect it | Pastor Ron Kelly

5-Day Devotional Guide: Returning to Your First Love

This guide is designed to help you recapture the joy, simplicity, and passion of your first love for Jesus, moving from religious duty to a dynamic, affectionate relationship with Him.

Day 1: The Diagnosis – Have You Left Your First Love?

Key Scripture: Revelation 2:2-4 - "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance... You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first."

Reflection: Jesus commends the Ephesian church for their hard work, doctrinal purity, and perseverance. They were busy doing all the "right" things. Yet, He issues a sobering diagnosis: they had lost the passionate, personal love they once had for Him. It's possible to be doctrinally correct, morally upright, and tirelessly busy in service, all while the heart's affection for Christ has grown cold. The "first love" is that initial, joyful, all-consuming devotion that marks a new believer—the simplicity of loving Jesus for who He is, not just for what He does or commands.

Consider:

  • Think back to when you first committed your life to Christ. What did that "first love" feel like? What was your motivation for prayer, service, and obedience then?

  • In your current spiritual life, are you primarily motivated by duty, habit, or the warmth of love?

  • What are the "deeds" and "hard work" in your life that might be masking a distant heart?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, search my heart. You see all my work and my perseverance. But you also see my motives. Reveal to me if I have, in any way, forsaken the passionate, first love I once had for you. I want my service to flow from love, not just duty. Amen.

Day 2: The Prescription – Remember, Repent, and Repeat

Key Scripture: Revelation 2:5 - "Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."

Reflection: Jesus doesn't just diagnose the problem; He gives a clear, three-step prescription for recovery. Remember: Go back to the place where you last saw the light. Recall the simplicity of your early faith, the answered prayers, the joy of salvation. Repent: This is a heart issue. Acknowledge the coldness, the distraction, the self-reliance. Turn away from it and turn back toward God. Repeat: Do the things you did at first. This is active, not passive. Re-engage in the spiritual disciplines that fostered your love—not as a checklist, but as a means of reconnecting with your Beloved.

Consider:

  • Remember: Where were you and what were you doing when your faith felt most alive and personal?

  • Repent: What specific attitudes (e.g., self-sufficiency, criticism, love of the world) have you allowed to crowd out your love for Christ?

  • Repeat: What is one "first thing" you can do again this week? (e.g., spending unrushed time in prayer, reading the Gospels to know Jesus better, sharing your faith with joy).

Prayer: Father, I remember the joy of my salvation. I repent of letting other things take your place in my heart. Today, I choose to do the things I did at first. Lead me back to that simple, loving relationship with you. Amen.

Day 3: The Safeguard – A Preoccupied Mind

Key Scripture: Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Reflection: The sermon quoted Ellen White: "As a safeguard against evil, the preoccupation of the mind with good is worth more than unnumbered barriers of law and discipline." You become what you behold. The most effective way to combat spiritual coldness, negativity, and fear is not by building higher walls of rules, but by actively filling your mind with the goodness of God. When your mind is "preoccupied" with Christ—His character, His love, His sacrifice, His promises—there is less room for the distractions and lies that pull you away from your first love.

Consider:

  • What currently "preoccupies" your mind throughout the day (worries, to-do lists, entertainment, criticism)?

  • How can you intentionally set your mind on things that are "excellent and praiseworthy" today?

  • The preacher said, "Get the Desire of Ages out... get Steps to Christ out." How could immersing yourself in books about Jesus' love protect your heart?

Prayer: Lord, I confess my mind is often cluttered with everything but you. I ask you to help me preoccupy my thoughts with you—your love, your grace, your beauty. Be the center of my attention today, my safeguard against all that would draw me away. Amen.

Day 4: The Foundation – Love in Action

Key Scripture: 1 John 3:18 - "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

Reflection: The "first love" for Jesus is not a fleeting emotion; it is a commitment that manifests in action. The preacher illustrated this with the couple on the airplane—their love was evident through their constant communication and affection. Our love for Christ is shown the same way. It's in the commitment to pray even when we don't feel like it, to serve others when it's inconvenient, to choose forgiveness when we've been hurt, and to hold fast to truth when it's challenging. This is the "toil" and "perseverance" that Jesus commended, but now powered by love, not just duty.

Consider:

  • How does your love for God translate into practical action towards your family, your church family, and strangers?

  • The preacher said, "Love... works to protect and provide for those who can't protect and provide for themselves." Who in your life needs you to be the hands and feet of Jesus' love this week?

  • Is there a difficult situation where you need to "step on the gas"—to act in counter-intuitive love and faith, trusting God with the outcome?

Prayer: Jesus, you didn't just say you loved me; you demonstrated it on the cross. Help my love for you to be just as active and tangible. Show me one person today whom I can serve as an act of love for you. Make my faith a verb, not just a noun. Amen.

Day 5: The Fountain – Abiding in God’s Affection

Key Scripture: John 15:9 - "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love."

Reflection: We cannot give what we do not have. We are called to be "fountains, not drains." But we can only be fountains if we are constantly connected to the source. God is not just a source of love; He is the "fountain of affection." His love is tender, personal, and overflowing. Our calling is to "remain" or "abide" in that love. This means consciously receiving His grace, basking in His forgiveness, and accepting His delight in us as His children. When we are filled from this divine fountain, love and affection will naturally flow out to others, making us "a witness nobody can gainsay."

Consider:

  • Do you see God as a stern judge or as the "fountain of affection"?

  • What does it mean for you personally to "remain" or "abide" in Christ's love today?

  • How can you tell when you are operating as a "drain" (critical, negative) versus a "fountain" (refreshing, loving)? What is the difference in your internal connection to Christ?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the fountain of all affection. I come to you today to be filled. Forgive me for trying to love others from my own empty well. I choose to abide in your perfect, unconditional love. Let it fill me and overflow from me to everyone I meet. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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