What does it mean to love with all your heart? As I held my newborn in my arms, I thought I could not love anything more. It was love at first sight. As I looked into her eyes and counted her fingers and toes, it was then I knew she was my little girl. I needed my child to love and care for but it was not until many years later when I held my first grandchild that I felt this overwhelming love. It was unlike the love that I had for all my children. It was a new depth of love, one which, I still do not understand.
As a child, I gave my heart to Jesus and instantly, while kneeling at the altar, I knew I was forgiven for a change took place in my heart. I felt a warmth and a closeness to the God I could not see and even though I did not understand completely, I know His love touched a deeper place in me. God tells us in Matthew 22:37, You are to “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.”
February 14th has been marked on the calendar as Valentine’s Day. It is a time when men and women express their love for one another by giving chocolate, flowers and a maybe a dinner in the romantic surroundings at a favorite restaurant. Many couples choose to get married at this time of the year and when they do, it makes the occasion just a little bit extra-special.
God wants to be our first love. He is to be the One we think about more than all else. He is the One we are to seek first. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and these things shall be added unto you. What He is telling us is to put Him first. He knows us better than anyone else does. He wants to give us His best in everything that concerns us. When I asked Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me for my sins, He became the Lord of my life. I will never forget the day I gave my life to Jesus. It is a memory etched in my mind and heart because it is the day I was brought from death to life.
The world continually tries to take first place in our lives. While living in a world of technology, it is easy to become distracted. I pray that we, the Body of Christ, will always remember who wants to be our first love and to put Jesus Christ first in our lives.
