Monthly Women's Devotional
Our First Love
On Paul’s third missionary journey, he stayed in the town of Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31). During that time, he earned the people’s respect and helped draw them closer to God. These blessings, along with their growing affection for one another, likely made Paul’s farewell especially difficult. However, he did leave, and to my knowledge, that was the last time he saw them.
Later, while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he must have heard some unsettling news about his friends in Ephesus since he felt compelled to write them a letter of encouragement (Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:20). This blows my mind! Paul was thinking about others and their spiritual health, when he clearly had serious problems of his own.
In Paul’s letter, there was an overarching theme of love – love for God and for fellow believers. The book begins with love, ends with love, and nestled in the middle, there is a prayer for strengthened love (Eph. 3:14-21). However, in Revelation, we read that the Ephesians STILL failed to maintain the vibrancy of their “First Love for Christ” (Rev. 2:4).
There is a booklet entitled My Heart – Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger that presents an analogy between Christ coming to live/dwell within our hearts (ref. Eph. 3:16-17) to someone coming to live within our physical home. Although short, it presents a powerful spiritual self-examination to its reader. In this book, the prospective tenant (Jesus) is given a tour by the owner (a believer in Christ). They travel room to room, beginning with the study and moving through the dining, living, work, rec, and bedrooms, making sure that Jesus is comfortable with everything taking place within each of the rooms. All seems well until they come to the hall closet. When confronted with the “contents” of this room, the owner of the house becomes defensive and admits that there are a few “private” things he did not want anyone to know about, especially Jesus! Jesus lovingly says, “I know you haven’t the strength to do it. Just give me the key and authorize me to handle that closet, and I will.” What a beautiful picture this paints of giving Christ full reign, with complete transparency, to every area and aspect of our lives.
Just as Paul prayed this prayer to remind his original readers that the One who came to dwell in their hearts—their First Love at salvation—was still living within them, we are reminded of the same truth today. What a blessing this little book, My Heart – Christ’s Home, is, as it helps us remember that Christ is ready to cleanse the areas that hinder the close, intimate fellowship He desires to share with each of us.
Trish Gibb
On Paul’s third missionary journey, he stayed in the town of Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31). During that time, he earned the people’s respect and helped draw them closer to God. These blessings, along with their growing affection for one another, likely made Paul’s farewell especially difficult. However, he did leave, and to my knowledge, that was the last time he saw them.
Later, while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he must have heard some unsettling news about his friends in Ephesus since he felt compelled to write them a letter of encouragement (Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:20). This blows my mind! Paul was thinking about others and their spiritual health, when he clearly had serious problems of his own.
In Paul’s letter, there was an overarching theme of love – love for God and for fellow believers. The book begins with love, ends with love, and nestled in the middle, there is a prayer for strengthened love (Eph. 3:14-21). However, in Revelation, we read that the Ephesians STILL failed to maintain the vibrancy of their “First Love for Christ” (Rev. 2:4).
There is a booklet entitled My Heart – Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger that presents an analogy between Christ coming to live/dwell within our hearts (ref. Eph. 3:16-17) to someone coming to live within our physical home. Although short, it presents a powerful spiritual self-examination to its reader. In this book, the prospective tenant (Jesus) is given a tour by the owner (a believer in Christ). They travel room to room, beginning with the study and moving through the dining, living, work, rec, and bedrooms, making sure that Jesus is comfortable with everything taking place within each of the rooms. All seems well until they come to the hall closet. When confronted with the “contents” of this room, the owner of the house becomes defensive and admits that there are a few “private” things he did not want anyone to know about, especially Jesus! Jesus lovingly says, “I know you haven’t the strength to do it. Just give me the key and authorize me to handle that closet, and I will.” What a beautiful picture this paints of giving Christ full reign, with complete transparency, to every area and aspect of our lives.
Just as Paul prayed this prayer to remind his original readers that the One who came to dwell in their hearts—their First Love at salvation—was still living within them, we are reminded of the same truth today. What a blessing this little book, My Heart – Christ’s Home, is, as it helps us remember that Christ is ready to cleanse the areas that hinder the close, intimate fellowship He desires to share with each of us.
Trish Gibb
