Moments with my First Love [UNDER REVISION]

MOMENT 4: Let this Love become official

How you been fallen in love?

Correct me if I am wrong but when you are in love with someone, you want to bring things between you into another level. Right? If you love someone, and you confirmed that that someone loves you too, you want to give it a label to make it official.

Same with the Lord.
God is a Supreme being, but He wants to have a thing with you.

God is longing for having an intimate relationship with you. Do you know that He already loves you even though you don't love Him yet? The God of all creation is madly inlove with you! He is the one who loved you first.

Deuteronomy 29:9 Moses said: Israel, the Lord has made an agreement with you, and if you keep your part, you will be successful in everything you do.

What is agreement?
- mutual understanding or arrangement

When you are still an unbeliever, you cannot understand the truth of how God loves you. But the moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your God and Personal Savior, He poured out His love for you, He opened your spiritual mind and you begin to understand what He is offering for you: a PERSONAL AGREEMENT.

This agreement is for you to have a relationship with Him. (Personal connection; personal bond; personal link). It is like a marriage contract in which God is your husband! Because God wants His love for you and your love for Him to become official! To become legal!

God has given us a freedom to agree or disagree; to accept or reject; to say yes or no. God offers; it's your part to respond to Him! Would you say yes to Him?

Just like a newly wed couple, it doesn't end with saying yes on the altar— it's only the beginning of lifetime with your partner.

MARRIAGE will only work if two persons are working out for it.

It will not be healthy if God is the only one making an effort. Participation keeps a good relationship.

Remember: DON'T JUST DO YOUR PART, KEEP YOUR PART. Because...

❎ You could make effort only at first
❎ You could give a lot of times to be with Him only at first
❎ You always want to be with Him only at first
❎ You want to talk to Him all the time at first

But don't just be good at first!
What you did at first must BE KEPT UNTIL THE END.

Question: What are the things you are doing for God at first that you are no longer doing to Him today?

Don't condemn yourself too much if you fail doing your part in the Lord when in fact, He is not condemning you. It's never too late to start again.

It's fine to fail if you are making an effort to refrain from doing your shortcomings again. And do not be afraid of failure, it's part of growing.

Successful relationship first in the Lord preceeds success in everything you do!

If you have a good and healthy relationship with the Lord, it will flow in any other relationship you have with other people — family, relatives, friends, co-worker, and even to your boy/girlfriend or husband/wife. You can tell a person's relationship in Christ if he/she excels in everything he/she do and have a light and good aura towards others.

How to keep a good relationship with God?

Deuteronomy 30:16-18 I am commanding you to be loyal to the Lord, to live the way he has told you, and obey his laws and teachings...

1. Be LOYAL to the Lord
- faithful in allegiance to one's government
- faithful esp. to a cause or ideal
- constant

Being loyal to God means LOVING HIM ABOVE ALL.

It is God you love more than your family, your friends, your own desires, ambitions, profession— EVERYTHING. It is when you can give up and lost everything aside from God.

Being loyal to God is not desiring something that you could neglect Him at the same time.

❎ "That dress looks good! I'm gonna buy it and I will not just give my full tithes today!"
❎ "I will first scroll on facebook, I will just to my devotions later!"
❎ "Mall with friends is life! Later for cell life!"
❎ "I will make time for money first! I will serve God when I am alrwady retired."

Oftentimes, even the very simple things that we cannot give to God leads us into being unfaithful to Him.

Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts.

This doesn't refer to a person alone, this includes your possesions. It's not wrong to desire something for yourself but check your heart first, "Is it worthy? Is this thing I want for myself could glorify the Lord?"

2. LIVE the way HE HAS TOLD YOU.
Since you accepted the God as your Husband, as the LORD over your life, it is not you who owns you anymore.

Ephesians 5:24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

For instance... God says you should forgive, you should forgive no matter what you feel. God understands your pain. He understands what happened to you. But it doesn't mean that you will forgive, you are already fine. When you forgive, it is you that you set free from burden. God says forgive because He is leading you to righteousness and freedom.

And you know what's another good in God? When you let Him lead you, He will also bless you!

3. OBEY His laws and teachings
When God says something, it is not a suggestion that it's up to you if you will obey or not. No laws and teachings of God are intended to be obeyed, but you obey out of love.

Everytime you obey Him, you get to know Him more and you keep a good relationship with Him.

Road to ideal relationship:
(continiation of the main verse) ...You are about to cross the Jordan River and take the land he is giving you. If you obey Him, you will libe and become succesful and powerful.

☑️ TRIALS WILL BE ALONG THE WAY
The Jordan River is your trial. Remember, even relationship has a trial, it has conflicts. But these often helps build a strong relationship, bond and trust.

As you keep on making good relationship with the Lord, circumstances will always come and put you down. But know that God is with you. He holds you with His mighty hand.

Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don't ever be afraid of your enemies.

"The secret to a good and strong relationship with the God is keeping your part through obedience."

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Highly_FavoreDii
To God be all the Glory!