Have you ever been on-fire-determined to accomplish a goal, then mid-way through the process, you not only dropped the ball, you couldn’t even find it? Me too.                                  ,

This drop-the-ball thing for me is exercise. I have an elliptical machine at home, and actually enjoy using it. So what exactly is the problem? I wondered about that myself; then it occurred to me; my issue with exercising isn’t about exercising, it’s about consistency.

Being consistent is making a commitment, and priority commitments come first.  I can always work on being consistent in exercising my physical body, but cannot afford to be inconsistent in exercising my spiritual faith.

Check out this quote:

“I wonder if the inconsistency in my walk with God has anything to do with the fact that I can lead a “successful” church in America without being in love with Jesus.I’m sure I could blame American church culture, my position, or a busy schedule for my lack of reverent intimacy. The truth, however, is that my sin and hypocrisy are a result of me.                       I forget to love God.” – Francis Chan, author, speaker and former pastor of one of the largest mega-churches in California. 

“I forget to love God.” Wow, a profound statement. It takes courage to be real.

After reading that quote, I deleted a huge chunk of this blog post.

In my original version, I had laid out a fancy bullet-point-fix-it-plan of tips for moving inconsistent behavior to consistent behavior. While it may have been helpful, instead I’ll simply say this:

When we’re consistent in loving God, He will help us overcome all the inconsistencies in our lives. Let us not forget our first love.  Tweet it

^“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4 NASB

I don’t want Jesus to ever have to say that to me. I couldn’t imagine.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary states it this way:

“Those that have lost their first love must remember whence they have fallen; they    must compare their present with their former state, and consider how much better it was with them then than now, how much peace, strength, purity, and pleasure they have lost, by leaving their first love,—how much more comfortably they could lie down and sleep at night,—how much more cheerfully they could awake in the morning,—how much better they could bear afflictions, and how much more becomingly they could enjoy the favours of Providence,—how much easier the thoughts of death were to them, and how much stronger their desires and hopes of heaven.”

Isn’t that the saddest thought? To lose our first love? I could cry. I never want to lose my first love, and I forever want to help others find Him. Jesus. Who’s with me?

By the way, I’ve been back on the elliptical twice this week. Booyah!

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