You look so comfortable

Rev Chapter 2: 2(C) "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but(D) have tested those(E) who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up(F) for my name’s sake, and you(G) have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned(H) the love you had at first.

Wow.. those people must have done so much for God.. but look what God holds against them- THEY Have forsaken their first love. We may be so involved with church that it becomes a routine. Going to church every sunday, attending bible studies, going to youth meetings- however are we passionate like we were before? Think back to when you were first saved- do you still have that passion and zeal that you once had- you were so amazing of God's love that you couldnt contain it? Or have you forgotten your first love and made God into such a routine. We cannot be comfortable because God has called us to step out and live an unordinary life- doing things for him with passion because God sees our hearts and where our motives root from.

passionate love- Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Are we really deeply in love with God anymore? In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the seed is the truth (the word of God). When the seed is flung onto the path, it is heard but quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold- there is an appearance of depth and growth because of the soil, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among the thorns, it is received but soon suffocated by life's worries, riches and pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes roots and produces fruit. My caution to you is Do not assume you are good soil. Too many Christians today assume that they are good soil.You see, Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sport teams, addictions or commitments are piled on top of it. Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live or has the way you live changed your walk with God?Are you satisfied with being "godly enough" to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others? Many of us cannot accurately describe ourselves as totally in love with Jesus Christ and the words halfhearted, lukewarm and partially committed fit better.Rev 3:15-18: 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.Jesus' call to commitment is clear: he wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a Christian without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd. Nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God- its about eternity and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives. Our commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in our life. Nothing we do in this life will ever matter unless it is about loving God and loving the people he has made. Some of you might be wondering what are the benefits of being passionate and consumed by God?When we pray, our prayers are heard by the same God who answered Moses' prayer for water in the desert, the God who gave Abraham and his barren wife a son, and the God who made the slave Joseph second in power only to Pharaoh. He is that same God. There is so much more to life than this. God wants to give us gifts, allow us heal the sick and perform wonders. We are missing the biggest part of our Christian lives – God wants to give us so much but he can't because of our little faith and lack of passionate love for God. We all have access to that same power, we need to stop being afraid that he will disappoint us. God didn't just give us a little for us; He gave His best. He gave Himself. It is no different for us: True love requires sacrifice. Our love is shown by how we live our lives: "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Everyone is too comfortable where they are in their lives. Too afraid to step out of the boundaries or walk away from the crowd. God does not call us to be comfortable, we have to break free from the status quo. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through. We are each given different gifts and talents by our Master. The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else. What matters is that we spend ourselves for our Savior. There is another path, an alternative to the individualism, selfishness and materialism of the American Dream. God has called us each to live faithful and devoted lives before Him. You do not need to preach to your pastor, congratgation or go to the ends of the world, you simply need to live out in your daily life the love and obedience that God has asked of you.When you are wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

You can judge a man's character by the friends he has

While growing up I remember my sister used to tell me "Be careful who you let in your circle of friends". I never really understood what she was saying or really what she meant by that until recently. I surrounded myself with friends from all different backgrounds and religions. don't get me wrong, But i know it is ok to be in the company of non believers- In the New Testament it says that we can go to the house of non- believers and eat lunch/dinner there. It is fine to be in friendships with unsaved people, but the thing is - is it ok for them to be in our INNER CIRCLE?

Let's take this as an example... T Mobile has this thing for their cell phone users to have a FAV FIVE. Now, take a minute and think about who would you put in your FAV FIVE... or better yet who do you have in those slots? Are they your family members, are they your best friends, co- workers, etc. Now, how many of those people are Christians? Not just Christians who wear the name- but God Fearing, overwhelmed and in Love with God Christians?

My whole life, I was careless to whom I became close to, whom I considered my best friends, and who I spent most my time with. I had surrounded myself with so many non Christians I failed to realize what toll it would take on my walk with God.

  "Do not be mislead- Bad company corrupts good character- 1 Corinthians 15:33"...

OK we all know that our friends rub off each other and that we tend to pick up character traits from the people we spend most time around. How many of those character traits that we picked up were good ones? Were any of them aiding your walk with God? 

I am not blaming my friends or past friends for my constant slip in my relationship with God. I blame myself entirely. I feel like if you surround yourself with people who are not on fire for God, your fire for God will not be as strong, or will be extinguished . We need people in our lives to encourage us, support us, and be of good company ... we need people in our lives that will be our spiritual backbones and not bring us down paths of unrighteousness. This doesn't mean abandon all those people who are not Christians in your lives- how else will we witness to them! It's just that we REALLY need to be careful who we let in our close circle of friends. It is so important that we have friends who will help us in our relationship with God not hinder it. Think about it, if you face an issue or a situation and you tell your friends about it- what is their first response? Is their response to get revenge, get drunk, steal, lie, cheat, etc? 

Or is it something that is uplifting, something dealing with Prayer, giving you Godly advice, giving you scripture references? If you don't have friends like that in your life, you need them! 

We have all heard that saying.. you can judge a man's character by the friends he has!

I have surrounded myself with people who have backstabbed me, betrayed me, abandoned me, and given me worldly advice. All the while I am trying to build a relationship with God. I finally realized how can I grow in my walk with God when my friends and their lifestyles pull me away? It is so important that we had God Fearing friends in our lives... people who are willing to pray with you when you need it, people who will pray FOR you, people who will worship God with you, people who will help you in your relationship with God... it is just so important for that. Your life will change dramatically when you change the people you are with.  What you put in your life will greatly affect every area of your life, the friends you hold so dearly to your heart will greatly affect what room you have left for God in your heart.