A Childlike Relationship with Your Heavenly Father
> *We love because he first loved us.* — 1 John 4:19
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The Simple Truth
First love isn’t complicated. We make it complicated.
It’s about being a humble child who simply loves their Heavenly Father.
First love is a heart relationship with God — marked by wonder, delight, desire, trust, and intimacy. Where knowing Him is your greatest treasure. Where His presence is your deepest joy. Where loving Him flows naturally from being loved by Him.
It’s not about perfection. Not about performance. Not about religious duty.
It’s about falling in love with Jesus — and staying in love with Jesus.
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Part I — Love From God The Foundation
His Love Comes First
Without genuinely receiving and experiencing God’s love, everything else becomes religious routine.
First love isn’t primarily about our love for God. It’s about being captured by His love for us. The person who has truly received God’s love doesn’t need to be constantly reminded to love — they naturally respond to what they’ve received.
When we’re operating from knowing we’re deeply loved, prayer becomes conversation with someone who delights in us. Obedience flows from trust rather than obligation. Service springs from gratitude rather than guilt. Worship emerges from wonder rather than routine.
But when we lose touch with His love, something shifts. Prayer feels like talking to the ceiling. Obedience feels like rules to keep God happy. Service feels like earning our worth. Worship feels like going through motions.
This is the key: God’s love for us is the fuel for our love for Him.
He Chose and Pursued Us
First love begins with God’s pursuit of us — not our pursuit of Him.
Like a divine romance, He initiates. He woos. He reveals Himself. And we respond with wonder and delight.
Scripture carries this thread from beginning to end. God so loved the world (John 3:16). He came to seek and save (Luke 19:10). *You didn’t choose me, I chose you* (John 15:16). *I have loved you with an everlasting love* (Jeremiah 31:3). He loved us first (1 John 4:10). While we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Rich in mercy, great love (Ephesians 2:4-5).
The whole story is Him coming toward us.
Knowing vs. Knowing About
*Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ.* — John 17:3
The Greek word here is *ginosko* — experiential, intimate knowledge. Not intellectual. Not informational.
Eternal life isn’t about knowing facts about God. It’s about knowing God personally. Experientially. Heart to heart.
And Jesus gave a sobering warning: many will say *Lord, Lord,* and He will answer, *I never knew you* (Matthew 7:22-23). The words were right. The relationship wasn’t there.
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Part II — Love To God Our Childlike Response
Relational, Not Transactional
First love is not about perfect performance, earning approval, checking boxes, religious duty, moral scorekeeping, or fear of punishment.
It’s about relationship — knowing and being known. Response — loving because He first loved. Rest — abiding in His love. Reality — genuine heart connection. Rejoicing — joy in His presence.
The Greatest Commandment
*Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.* — Mark 12:30
All your heart — affections directed toward Him. All your soul — will surrendered to His. All your mind — thoughts captivated by Him. All your strength — energy and resources given to Him.
Nothing held back. Nothing in reserve. All of you, loving all of Him.
The Marriage Metaphor
First love is like the honeymoon phase of marriage (Hosea 2:14-20, Jeremiah 2:2). Tender conversation — God speaking intimately. Exclusive devotion — *my husband,* not just *my Lord.* Forever commitment — covenant relationship. Being together for the joy of presence, not duty.
Just as newlyweds delight in each other’s company, seek each other’s face, speak tenderly, and would rather be together than anywhere else — this is first love with God.
It’s love that doesn’t calculate risk. Doesn’t demand proof. Doesn’t hold back.
It follows because being with the Beloved is what matters most.
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The 9 Characteristics of First Love
1. Wonder and Awe
*Ephesians 3:18-19*
Gratitude that overflows. Constant amazement — *look what He’s done.* Never getting over the miracle of being loved. Fresh eyes seeing His glory everywhere.
The heart posture: *I can’t believe He loves ME.*
2. Intimate Conversation
*Exodus 33:11*
Two-way dialogue — speaking and listening. Honest expression — telling Him everything. Constant awareness — praying without ceasing. Friend to friend, not just servant to master.
The heart posture: *I can’t wait to tell Him about this.*
3. Hungry for Presence
*Psalm 42:1*
Morning anticipation — waking eager to meet Him. Never satisfied, always wanting more. Time disappearing in worship. Seeking His face — wanting Him, not just His blessings.
The heart posture: *One thing I ask — to gaze on the LORD.* (Psalm 27:4)
4. Joyful Obedience
*John 14:15*
Love first. Obedience flows. Joy in surrender. Eager response — *here I am, send me.* Love compels, not fear. Easy yoke, not heavy burden.
The heart posture: *I get to, not I have to.*
5. Overflowing Testimony
*Acts 4:20*
Natural overflow, not forced. Compelled by joy. Unashamed declaration. Love is contagious.
The heart posture: *I have to tell you about Jesus.*
6. Surrendered Trust
*Job 13:15*
Trust without understanding. Peace in mystery. Resting in His character. Open hands, holding nothing back.
The heart posture: *I don’t understand, but I know You. That’s enough.*
7. Passionate Pursuit
*Psalm 27:4*
One thing, not many things. Treasure in heaven. Seeking first the kingdom. All-consuming devotion.
The heart posture: *Nothing compares to knowing Him.*
8. Tender Sensitivity
*Psalm 51:10*
Soft heart, not hardened. Immediate conviction. Grieved by sin because it hurts Him. Quick repentance.
The heart posture: *Did I grieve You? I’m so sorry.*
9. Decreasing Self
*John 3:30*
He increases, I decrease. Hidden life in Christ. Servant heart. His fame, not mine.
The heart posture: *Less of me, more of You.*
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Part III — Love For Others The Overflow
> *By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.* — John 13:35
This is the critical point. Christ’s command is to love one another. If people don’t see you as loving, you’ve lost your first love — regardless of doctrinal correctness or religious activity.
Vertical love produces horizontal love. You cannot love God and hate your brother (1 John 4:20). Unity becomes a priority — make every effort to keep it. Sacrificial love emerges — greater love has no one than this. Reconciliation comes quickly — first go and be reconciled. Family affection takes root — devoted to one another.
The heart posture: *I love you because He first loved me. We’re family.*
The two great commandments — love God and love neighbor — are inseparable (Matthew 22:37-39). You cannot have one without the other. They rise together. They fall together.
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Biblical Examples
Mary of Bethany chose presence over service. Lavish worship at His feet. And Jesus said, *Mary has chosen what is better.*
Paul counted everything a loss — *because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.* And then: *I press on toward the goal.*
David sought Him in the morning. One thing he asked — *to gaze on the beauty of the LORD.* His soul thirsted for God like a deer panting for streams.
John leaned on Jesus. He called himself *the disciple whom Jesus loved* — not as a boast, but as an identity. He rested in that love. And out of that rest came the writing that shaped the church’s understanding of love itself. *We love because he loved us first.*
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What First Love Feels Like
In the morning, you wake with thoughts of Him. Eager to spend time in prayer. Looking forward to His Word. Starting with worship.
Throughout the day, you’re conscious of His presence. Talking to Him naturally. Seeing His fingerprints everywhere. Gratitude bubbling up without being manufactured.
In decisions, *what does Jesus want* is the first question — not the last one. Peace comes in surrender. Trust holds even when the path doesn’t make sense. Joy carries you through obedience, even when it’s costly.
In worship, you get lost in His presence. Time disappears. Tears of gratitude come unbidden. The heart overflows.
In relationships, love flows to others naturally. Quick to forgive. Eager to reconcile. Serving without resentment.
At night, you reflect on His faithfulness. Grateful for His presence. Resting peacefully in His care. Your last thoughts, like your first, are of Him.
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Like a Child
This is the heart of it. Like a humble child who simply loves their Heavenly Father.
Not complicated. Not performance-based. Not religious duty. Just the simple, trusting, delighted love of a child for their perfect Father.
If you’ve drifted, the path back is given plainly: remember, repent, do (Revelation 2:5). And Peter’s restoration after denial (John 21) makes one thing clear — it’s never too late to return.
We make it complicated. Jesus made it simple. *Come to Him like a child.* (Matthew 18:3)
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The Invitation
> *Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.* — Revelation 3:20
First love is Jesus’ invitation to intimacy — fellowship, eating together. To mutuality — relationship, not one-sided. To immediacy — He’s present, available, now. To initiative — He pursues, He knocks.
The question is simple.
Will you open the door? Will you respond to His love?
Will you come to Him like a child — simple, trusting, delighted?
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*Love, love, love.*