Revelation 2:4 (NASB)
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
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Bible Commentary:
Revelation 2:4 is a very intimate Bible verse between Christ and His bride. No human relationship can compare to the rich, exciting and intimate love affair we can experience with God.
He is our First Love, our Husband and therefore, the most effective Marriage Counselor.
Interestingly, we don’t usually think about God loving us with a romantic love, but the Bible says in Ephesians 5 that we are the bride of Christ, that He is the head of the body. We are the body, His bride, and He actually is our first Love.
Like me, you probably have lived much of your life without a deep understanding of the power and intensity of God’s romantic love toward you. He was with you from the moment you were conceived. He planned every detail of your human form, from your hair color to the sound of your voice, all the way to the shape of your toes. Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
God is in Love with You
He created you and watched over you as you grew, eagerly waiting for you to notice Him and pursue Him. He has been in love with you from the very beginning.
His eye is upon you. (Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” and Zechariah 2:8 ‘“For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”’)
Most likely, you have probably had some exposure to the Bible or church in some form. You had awareness that God existed, but your knowledge of Him was or is small. You haven’t known the depth and intensity of His desire toward you. Personally, the most astonishing thing I have ever experienced is knowing God romantically and becoming aware of His intense and passionate love for me.
As you begin to seek and understand His heart’s desire toward you and He reveals His passion for you, you’ll never be the same. Song of Solomon 7:10 says, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.” His amazing love is intoxicating.
No human relationship can compare to the rich, exciting and intimate love affair we can experience with God. He is our Healer, our Comforter, our Counselor and our Husband. We are His bride.
Romantic Love of God
You can personally experience that rich, romantic love with God. Think back to your first love. How did you get to know that person? Did you walk together to class? Did you write notes to each other? Did you spend hours on the telephone? You got to know that special someone by spending time with them, communicating with them in an open dialogue.
It’s no different with God. You can’t know Him closely until you start spending time alone with Him. Maybe it’s on your back porch or balcony or even in your living room before anybody else wakes up, or maybe it’s in your car on your lunch break.
Our lives are so filled with the activities and noise of daily life that it is difficult to hear His still, small voice unless we are still and in a quiet place. You see, in spending some time alone with Him every day, He will not only reveal His deep love for you, but He will help you to know yourself.
For me, that small commitment of 10 minutes per day was the beginning of an amazing journey where He taught me who I was in Him. It became a gradual “receiving” of spiritual wealth—a nourishment—that has changed my life from the inside out.
Holy Matrimony
Holy matrimony is supernatural, so it must be established in the spiritual realm with God the Father before it can be achieved in the earthly realm. The instruction in Revelation 2:4 is to come back to Him, turn to Him continually, faithfully. Recognize Him as your first love.
It takes time to know God intimately, to love Him first, but so worth it. Over time alone with Him, you will begin to know and receive His intimate love for you. Then He will begin to reveal Himself to you through another person here on earth. It is so exciting when you see Him through your spouse!
The Bible says He is a jealous God; you must seek Him first before He will enrich your other relationships (Exodus 20:3-4).
As my Husband and Counselor, God has healed me from the pain of my past—things I didn’t even realize left an effect upon me. As a natural progression, that nourishment, that healing, has changed every relationship in my life, particularly my marriage and my relationship with God.
As your Marriage Counselor, He can do the same for you. If you’ve never experienced a love affair with God, let me invite you to begin now. Study the Bible verse of Revelation 2:4 to know Him as your first love, so you can experience abundance in your relationships.
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