“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” – Revelation 2:4

Last week I participated in a gathering of saints seeking more of God. During that gathering there was an interesting question asked, “What if you simply received.” To drive the point home, the leaders quoted Judith Hougen from her book Transformed Into Fire:

“Almost everyone, it seems starts the movement of love at square B – giving love. I’ve rarely heard of anyone begin at square A – receiving love, which is ground zero.”

Immediately, the Spirit reminded me that the very first thing we receive from God and the thing that draws us into an ever-deepening relationship with him is Love.

We love not because we’re really good people or because we have learned love from the world. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

The very first thing we receive from God, before anything else, is Love. Our conception, our birth, our first breath are all the love of God manifest in our physical reality.

Immediately the Spirit brought to mind the church in Ephesus. In Revelation 2, Jesus commends them for their hard work and perseverance. They had endured hardships because of Jesus, and they had not given up.

But he held one thing against them. They had “forsaken the love you had a first.”

Most interpretations of this passage direct us to the love that the Ephesians expressed toward Jesus and exhibited to others. But in this encounter, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the very first thing we receive from God and the reason why we are even able to love at all.

“We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19

Remember the love you received before everything else. The love you received before you knew why. The love you receive as the only reason you can love.

Remember your first love.

Remember the reason.

Three Miles An Hour 

My book,

THE TOV HEART: God's Design for a Life Rooted in What Matters Most 

is available from Amazon here THE TOV HEART

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It is my hope and prayer that you will be blessed and challenged to look for more with God - Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. No matter how much you think you have, there is always MORE! Godspeed!

Copyright © 2026 Ray Schmidt