First love....

Learning to Listen: Through Falling and Getting Back Up

You might wonder when reading this title: “What does this have to do with hearing God's voice?” While preparing this article, my heart was drawn to the theme of “first love.” We can read about this in the book of Revelation. It begins with the apostle John having a spiritual encounter with Jesus, who instructs him to write down what he sees and hears and send it to the seven churches in Asia.

One of these churches is the church in Ephesus, addressed in Revelation 2:4–5:

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.” (NKJV)

What Is “First Love”?

They had forsaken their first love. But what exactly does that mean? Many people interpret first love as the emotional passion they felt when they first came to faith. However, I believe this doesn’t quite capture its full meaning.

In 1 John 4:8–10, 19 we read:

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. …We love Him because He first loved us.” (NKJV)

At the heart of these verses—especially verses 10 and 19—is a powerful truth:

“The first love isn't about our love for God, but about His love for us.”

God’s Love Comes First

That’s where it all begins: not with our efforts to love God, but with His deep and unshakable love for us. Jesus fulfills the law through two commandments:

“Love God above all, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

But we cannot fulfill these commands by striving alone. If we could, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to come to this world. It all starts and continues with receiving His love.

Back to His Love

Returning to first love means coming back to the moment when you (once again) realize that it was He who came to you not the other way around. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own efforts to do good or become busy working for the Lord. But how freeing it is to remember that it all begins with the gift of Him loving me first. It brings peace even relief: “I live through Him and by Him. I don’t have to do it in my own strength.”

A Heart Refreshed by His Love

His love for me softens my heart. I begin to experience His rest, peace, love, and grace. It’s then that love for Him naturally wells up from within and gives me the ability to love both myself and others. Loving Him isn’t something I have to work tirelessly at it’s something I receive. When I experience His love, something shifts inside me. Loving Him above all begins with receiving, embracing, and accepting His love for me.

“His love for Him naturally wells up within me and enables me to love myself and others.”

God Is Love

We just read that God is love. It’s not merely something He does it’s who He is. It defines His character and His very nature. You might wonder: “But isn’t He also holy?” Absolutely. But His holiness isn’t something that creates a chasm between you and Him. In fact, He gave everything to bridge that very gap. His holiness and love are inseparable. God is not divided within Himself. He is pure and flawless in all He does and all He is and so is His love. He calls us to remain in that first love: His love for you and me.

The Tone of His Voice

In 1 Corinthians 13, we read that one can prophesy without love. Prophecy is hearing God’s voice on behalf of someone else. The Bible tells us that such words spoken without love sound like a clanging gong or a resounding cymbal. In other words: unbearable noise. The tone in which you speak, and the words you choose to describe what God wants to say, affect whether His message and His heart are conveyed accurately. The same applies when He speaks to you personally.

“Learning to know God’s heart rightly is foundational for hearing His voice clearly.”

Knowing His Heart to Hear His Voice

The way we perceive the Lord consciously or not shapes how we hear Him.

So my prayer for you is this: That you may experience the first love perhaps for the first time, or once again for He loved you first.