Do the First Works

Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss
September 16, 2009

Returning to Your First Love
Your First Love Relationship

Think about the time in your life when your love for Christ burned more strongly than ever. Does that describe you today? Find out why it could.

If you love Christ, you will love others. To have true love for others, you must have Christ. So when you fail to love Christ, you will fail to love others. When you fail to love others, you have failed to love Christ.

A door of your heart can be closed off to Christ even if you’re faithful, persevering, orthodox; even if your doctrine and lifestyle is right.

Apart from love for Christ and for others, all we do is in vain.


Even before today's "Revive Our Hearts" excerpt, I must admit, I have been in a strange place for a long time. I have felt that I have been missing something very important. The Scripture the Lord keeps bringing to mind is Revelation 2: 1-7:

"“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “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 labored 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 lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’"

I have been praying and asking the Lord to show me what the first works are, so that I might do them again. I want that love and fire that burned in my heart for Jesus to blaze out of control again. I want to follow Christ, not just His words. I feel that I have become so focused on obeying doctrine, on obeying the word of God, that I stopped focusing on following the God of the word. It has been a scary place to be. Scary because I know that if I am missing it, if I am just giving my son a bunch of rules to follow, but nothing to hold him, no LIFE that makes him want to do what God says, then it is all in vain, and I will watch my son walk away from Christ, having just enough to innoculate him to the truth. I DON'T WANT THAT! So I know it has to start with me. I must be willing to reexamine my heart, what I believe and where I am with Christ. I must be living life abundantly, through faith in Christ, acknowledging that I don't know it all and leaning wholly upon Jesus. I must show him something worth dying for, that he might truly live. That is where I am. It is a hard place to be because I am finding out that I am differing in some views with some that I love dearly, and that is scary. But Christ is my hope...He is my Lord, my Guide, my ever present Help in time of trouble. He alone is the One that can keep my feet from slipping and can lift me up when I fall. Christ is ALL in ALL. HE is the point. I pray that I can quickly come back to the place where I am living that.