When God created Adam and Eve, they (and we likewise) were created by Him, for Him, and to be in complete communion with Him. Once they chose to rebel against God’s only rule and sin was created, so many things changed for us. The reason for our creation, though, has never changed. Tucked way down inside of each of us, all the way to the genetic level, there is an epic longing, an ache for something we can’t quite put our finger on. It is a lacking, a God-need, a place only He can fill, because it is the place within us where we communed perfectly with Him. In the crisp bite of a piece of fruit, our completeness was lost and the long season of loneliness began.
As the separation began, God immediately set a plan in motion to restore the relationship that sin had stolen. Scripture details that plan and at the same time details the tragic steps we would take to try and fill a God-shaped void in our lives. To a casual reader of the Word of God it may seem narcissistic that God’s very first rule to His people was to have no other gods before Him. God is not a human being and has no need for our undivided devotion to fill His ego. He is perfect and ever selfless. He knew that if we put Him first, above all else, to let Him be our first love, we would find balance and a sure footing to stand upon. Through Jesus, the plan was completed and once again communion was possible.
Why then, is there still so much torment and angst and defeat within the body of Christ? We have gratefully accepted Jesus’ forgiveness and allowed Him into part of our lives. But we also linger at the 24hour buffet line of life trying to fill the God-shaped void but never finding any real satisfaction. We snack on relationships, people pleasing, attention seeking, perfectionism, status, over-indulgence of the senses, etc. At the end of the day we are bloated and unfulfilled so we pop two tablets of Alka-Seltzer (guilt and shame) and wonder where the joy of our salvation has gone.
The plan is in place. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit wait. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the Kingdom of God”. In other words, “Make Me your first love”. If we would just listen to what He has been saying all along we would find our sure footing, our place of balance. He doesn’t need us but He desperately wants us. The separation has been torn away by Jesus’ horrible death. If we allowed Him to be our first love He would fill our God-shaped longing with Himself. There is nothing this world can offer that can fill that place of need within you. Do you realize how much better our marriages would be if we got what we needed from God and stopped being disappointed with our spouses for not being everything we need? We would begin to see what they do and what they offer instead of what they don’t do and don’t offer. The same is true of all of our relationships and how we see ourselves. We would begin to realize that all the approval, love, acceptance, hope, and joy that we could ever need are fulfilled through Him and every other part of our lives would fall into balance.
Proverbs 24:3 tells us, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. Your heart is where the romance must flourish between you and your First Love. He created our hearts for that very relationship. If He is your first love, everything will change in your life. Jesus’ sacrifice was so very costly. Let’s not stop short of taking everything His death paid for. Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.