When we first come to faith, everything may feel new. Worship feels alive. A verse of Scripture seems to enter the heart with unusual power. Prayer may come with tears. In those early days, we may sincerely say, “Lord, I love You.”
But over time, our feelings often become quieter. Worship becomes familiar. Bible reading may not always feel fresh. Prayer may sometimes feel dry. Then we begin to wonder, “Has my faith grown cold? Have I lost my first love?”
It is true that our hearts can grow cold. It is true that we can begin to love other things more than the Lord. But first love is not measured only by the intensity of our early emotions.
First love is a direction of the heart.
The question is not merely, “Do I feel the way I once felt?” The deeper question is, “Where is my heart turning now?” When we turn back to Christ on a day when we feel little, that is love. When we stop hiding after sin and come again to the Lord, that is love. When we open the Word in the middle of a tired week, that is love. When we take one small step of obedience that no one sees, that may be a deeper confession of love than a moment of strong emotion.
Love is not always dramatic. A parent rises early to care for a child though exhausted. A husband or wife begins a difficult conversation again after being hurt. Someone quietly carries a responsibility day after day without being praised. These are not always emotional moments, but they are acts of love.
Faith is similar. Some days our love for Christ is expressed through tears and songs. Other days it is expressed through returning, enduring, repenting, listening, and obeying.
So do not despair simply because your feelings are not as strong as they once were. The Lord does not look only at passing emotions. He sees the direction of the heart. Come back to Him today. Stand before His Word. Pray, even briefly. Take the next small step of obedience.
First love is not trying to recreate yesterday’s spiritual emotion. It is turning your heart to Christ again today. Our love is often weak, but His love that holds us is never weak and never changing.