Our First Love - God

Today we are talking about Our First Love — God, and we are going to discuss how Advent helps us to slow down and remember why our love for God began.

Advent is all about focusing on Jesus’ birth, His ongoing presence, and His second coming. During Advent, we think about hope, peace, joy, and love.

God as our first love comes before distractions, busyness, traditions, and expectations. Talking about this and Advent will help us put things into perspective this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and God’s love for each and every one of us.

I think the Christmas season is so fun because we go from thinking about our normal day-to-day things to family, friends, and giving.

It seems so easy for us to slip into that mindset because it’s scheduled.

So, what if you scheduled time like this at least once a week? When we change our thought process to these important things in life, we choose simplicity, worship, and generosity. When we think about Advent and the meaning behind it, let’s bring hope, joy, peace, and love into our everyday moments, starting today.

Matthew 22:37 says, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”

This Scripture brings us back around to the fact that God loves us, and we should choose each day for Him to be our first love.

As we think about Advent, let’s remember it isn’t about adding more to our plates; it is about returning to what matters most — love. That is, God loves us, and we should also love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

Who has good intentions for peaceful Christmas mornings — and days, for that matter? I think we all do. Every year, I really want to simplify Christmas and just enjoy every moment, and every year it seems like I’m in the kitchen more than anything.

Now, it may not seem chaotic, but when you are cooking food most of the day and you have your family coming into the kitchen always looking for food, it can feel chaotic because you are trying to remember everything, but you keep getting interrupted.

Though I’m juggling all the things, I still try to soak up every moment and keep focused on the fact that God loved each one of us so very much.

Love grows when it is nurtured, and that is what we do every moment we spend with God.

Just a reminder you can speak today: God is my first love, and my heart returns to Him. I choose devotion over distraction.

Have you ever bought one of those Advent calendars with chocolate in it?

I have never bought one of these because I know all the chocolate would be gone in one day. I’ve even thought about buying one that doesn’t have chocolate in it, but I don’t need my teenagers to argue about who would get what’s in the box.

We have a calendar, and we move the little wooden candy cane every day. They take turns doing that, and they love it, so why mess up what works?

I’m all about making sure that peace is prevalent in our house so that Christmas traditions don’t revolve around certain things and discussions.

God’s love is something that always calls us back to Him, and as we are in the midst of the Advent season, we can answer the call He invites us into — to come close to Him.

What is one thing you can easily add to your daily routine that will bring you closer to God? Is it a devotional or maybe even a prayer?

It doesn’t have to be complicated — just something easy that will return your focus to God.

Let’s remember to keep Christ at the center this season and spread that love and cheer around.

Let’s take a moment to pray today.

Lord, as we go about this holiday season, soften our hearts and help us to slow down and focus on You and all You have given us. Thank You for sending Your Son so that we can truly see how He loved others and taught us to love others as well. Give us peace, a desire for devotion to You, and a renewed love. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Seventeen years ago, I was pretty distracted during the Christmas season. We had our firstborn on December 21st, and because of that, Christmas was so very different for us that year.

But it was an odd distraction. Though we were excited and ready to meet our baby boy, I was also so very grateful for the baby boy who was born over 2,000 years ago to save each and every one of us.

God put into perspective the depth of Jesus’ life for me that year, and from what I can remember, there were little to no gifts under the tree.

God just wants us to know that He is present with us no matter the season we are facing, and that when we keep in mind that He is our first love, we will have the peace, love, and understanding that we seek each moment.

Let us never forget that God is our first love and why He is our first love. He sent Jesus here so that we could draw near in a tangible way.

Do you feel God inviting you to slow down and reset your focus on Him this Advent season?

As we count down to Christmas, remember the angels’ words in Luke 2:14 — “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.”

May His peace fill your heart today. You’re loved, you’re seen, and Jesus is near.