Love can be defined in many different ways, but all the definitions include a form of one common element. That element will be stronger at some points than others, but it still remains. That element is how it affects what you think about. If you are looking to buy a car, or whatever, your mind repeatedly gravitates towards that item. The same is true when a person falls in love. Their minds repeatedly gravitate towards that special person. The same seems to hold true if you fall in love with a particular house, vacation spot, etc. When I visited a seminary in the Philippines earlier this year, some aspects of it repeatedly return to my mind. I sense God is preparing me to return to serve as a volunteer there.
The first fruit of your being captivated by God is the repeated musings in your mind upon God. If you are ravished by God, your mind will repeatedly be transported back to some aspect of Him. David wrote, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18 (NIV) He also wrote, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:8-11 (NIV) He genuinely loved God, and it showed in how he thought of God and how often he thought of Him.
When the prophet Ezekiel prophesied about spiritual rebirth or regeneration that would come in the future, he wrote something profoundly significant about the results or fruit of that salvation in the life of a new convert. First, he points out what His Spirit will do in the person, then points out the effects of what He does. It inspires a dramatic change in a new believer. He wrote, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NLT2) To me, that is saying the awe of God’s work in the person is so profound the person falls in love with God. We are only careful to do things we place a very high value on.
The goal of Satan and his companions is to eliminate the awe and love for God. That’s exactly how he treated Eve and the church at Ephesus. Comparing the church of Ephesus in Acts 19:23-31 shows a clear difference from the same church roughly 30 years later. John’s description of that church still doing all the right things, but had forsaken its first love, which God values far more than continuing to do all the right things. (Revelation 2:1-6)
The enemy still does the same to believers now. It’s disheartening how many former churchgoers now seem to lack their earlier zeal. Renewal requires a fresh encounter with God’s awe via Scripture or a new revelation of our Lord.
This begs the question; what might the temperature of your love for Him look like today. Do your thoughts snap back to His awesomeness you recently experienced, or might they occasionally find their way back into your mind through the many memories of family, experiences or accomplishments? Are you comfortable with where it might be?
To my dismay, God constantly reminds me of my lack of attention to His desires.