Turn your attention to John chapter 5 verses 37 to 42. Here we have Jesus pointing out the fact that the Jewish leaders lacked love for God because despite their extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, they failed to recognize Him as the one to whom the Scriptures pointed to. Their search for eternal life in the Scriptures was misguided because they added to the original 613 laws. They became toolmasters of the people-you can’t do this, you shouldn’t do that. (37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. “But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.” John 5:37-42) For example, in John 5:10, after Jesus heals the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, the Jewish leaders confront him for carrying his bed on the Sabbath, showing their strict adherence to the law over compassion and love. (“So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” John 5:10) This mirrors Jesus’ critique in Matthew 23:23-24, where He condemns the Pharisees for prioritizing minor details while neglecting justice and mercy. (“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” Matthew 23:23-24) The Jewish leaders refused to come to Jesus, proving that their understanding and beliefs were not rooted in a genuine relationship with God-somewhere down the line they had left their first love. Their relationship with God had become void and cold.
“My First Love” involves more than just knowledge of the Scriptures or religious practices. It requires a personal relationship with Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus declares that He is the only way to God, the truth that reveals God’s nature, and the source of eternal life, emphasizing that no one can come to the Father except through Him. (“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” John 14:6) Genuine faith is demonstrated through action, not lip service like the Jewish leaders. Our love for Jesus compels us to come to Him for life and allows that relationship to transform our hearts and lives.
“My First Love” originates from God’s love for each of us. 1 John 4:19 states, “We love because he first loved us.” The God kind of love is proactive and divine. We love others simply as a response to how we have experienced God’s love.
Remember to stay rooted and focused on your relationship with Jesus, allowing His love to guide your heart and actions, so that you never lose sight of your first love.