Recently, I read a story about a newly married couple. One of their favorite pastimes was to go for a drive in their truck in the evenings.  The husband would get in the driver’s seat and the wife would sit in the middle of the bench seat, sitting as close to her man as she could.  In order to have quiet time from the activities of life, they took this evening drive frequently.

A few years went by, and they kept up the routine of the drive, perhaps more out of habit than anything else.  But as time went by, the wife slowly inched away from sitting close to her husband. Eventually, she completely stopped sliding over next to her husband at all.  Instead, she would just climb in and sit in the passenger seat.

One day she said, “I miss the days when we were so in love that we were inseparable and cuddled close.” The husband replied, “I never moved.”

Recently, I realized that I had slipped away from my closeness with God. Oh, I was saved. I prayed prayers every day, although rather perfunctory at times. One night as I was tossing in my bed unable to sleep, I felt troubled. As I lay in the darkness, I asked God, “Why don’t I feel You like I once did?” I know feelings are not the basis of my walk with God, but there are those times, when I realize that my relationship with God is suffering.

The year 2024 has not been a dream year for our family. We have faced the death of a brother, a brother-in-law, and a niece who faced a hard battle with ALS. Another sibling is battling memory issues, and another has had so many medical issues. I could list other burdens, but you get the picture. Life gets extremely hard.

Whether intentional or unintentional, I began to scoot across the seat from God. It was not all at once, but little by little. I was a restless, careless drifter from the presence of God. That night in bed in a darkened room, I decided that things were going to change starting the next day.

Revelation 2:1-7 addresses the issue of “scooting across the seat” as believers. Jesus spoke to the Church at Ephesus. He commended them for all the work they were doing and all the evil they were shunning. In reading those verses, it is almost as if Jesus is saying, “Thanks for all you stand for and all you are doing in my Name. However, it is YOU that I long for. You no longer love me as you once did. I miss you cuddling right up next to me.”

Jesus did not say that the Ephesians had lost first love, but that they had left first love, had forsaken first love. They were still in church. They were still doing good deeds. They were still standing for righteousness. They were “good” Christians. As admirable as all of that is, the heart of Jesus said, “I miss YOU.”

Rick Renner stated it this way, “As we walk with the Lord, there is always a danger that as each of us grows older in our spiritual walk and become more structured, polished, refined, and doctrinally developed, we will slowly start to forfeit the zeal and spiritual fire we once possessed. What we once held as precious tends to seem routine over time, and as we become accustomed to God’s precious Spirit in our lives, too often we unintentionally begin to simply “traffic” in the things of God.”

The morning after my wrestling in my bed, I remembered the words of Revelation chapter two. Jesus gave a formula for restoring first love: Remember. Repent. Redo.

1. Remember. I have often been known to break out in a song while teaching the Word of God in a conference. Quite often that song is, “If you could see where Jesus brought me from to the place I am today, then you would know the reason why I love my Jesus so.”  I remember what a mess I was when Jesus took me in His arms. He forgave every sin. I remember how Jesus Christ healed the trauma, confusion, and anger I was carrying. Remembering caused me to rekindle first love. It would do us all well to pay a visit to the foot of the cross on a regular basis. Oh, what a Savior!
2. Repent. I knelt in the presence of God and repented of allowing so many things to rob my time with Him. I repented of the attitudes and ugliness that had taken over my tongue, at times. I asked Him to forgive me. It is easy to ask forgiveness for what we call the major sins. Yet, I think it is the attitudinal things of the heart that trip us up most. Lord, I repent. Forgive me.
3. Redo. What did I do when I first understood this Savior of mine? I began to worship on a daily basis. I would play worship music, singing at the top of my lungs, while cleaning my house, and handling the normal things of life. I invited Him into everything. I praised Him through all things. His praise was ever on my lips. I began to practice the presence of God from early morning and through the day.

I purposed in my heart that I would set aside no less than thirty minutes each day to read, sing, pray, and slip across the seat and get closer to God. In a matter of days, the difference was undeniable. U-N-D-E-N-I-A-B-L-E. I found that the time with Him got longer and longer because I did not want to leave His presence.

Is it possible that you have slipped across the seat from God? Has your relationship with Him become mundane? Today, God is simply saying, “Draw close to Me, and I will draw close to you.”  I am so glad to serve a God who is more interested in my relationship with Him than keeping a tab of all I am doing for Him.

As I write this, my own heart is stirred once more to stay close to God. Is God calling to You today to scoot across the seat? Remember. Repent. Redo. He awaits you.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” – James 4:8