Day 21: Return to Your First Love
Intention
To be a people infused with their first love, always encouraging one another and building each other up.
Scripture
“I know what you have done; I know how hard you have worked and how patient you have been. I know that you cannot tolerate evil people and that you have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and have found out that they are liars. You are patient, you have suffered for my sake, and you have not given up.
But this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first.”
– Revelation 2:2–4
Reflection
We live in an era when anyone and everyone can share Christ via social media. You can be a brand-new Christian and have a platform to share the excitement of finding Jesus to thousands or even millions if you are that popular.
We pray for people who we love, for the next generation, for people in government and media, for our communities, for foreign nations, for the young and the old, the rich and the poor, that they would all find Christ.
But when they do, and start posting reels about it, I see a body of seasoned believers, not all of us but a portion, doing two things. One, debating the status of these so-called converts and two, critiquing their attempts at spreading the Word.
“Are they really a Christian? What is their right as a sinner to suddenly be so righteous? Can we trust that they have actually changed? And above all else — barely a Christian with no training — what is their authority to speak the Word?”
Babes in Christ, consumed by their first love, desperate for the whole world to know Jesus. Sinners with a history of sexual immorality and drug abuse, covered in tattoos.
Recently, I watched fellow believers mock a post — and it crushed me. The post was from of an influencer with a huge platform, who sat with a physical Bible flipping to find a verse, struggling, knowing he had read it somewhere — in the end, he couldn’t find it.
The response? Ridiculed by fellow members of Christ’s own Body. Oh, how we have lost our first love.
Let us repent and love as we first did.
Let us take it upon ourselves to be good disciples, building up and encouraging these babes who crave God’s word. Let us never treat with contempt the one who makes decisions in non-essential areas, like eating only vegetables (Romans 14:2). Let those who eat everything never judge the other, for God has accepted them (Romans 14:3). When they err, let us teach and redirect our new brothers and sisters gently, lest we be tempted to sin too.
And having done that, let us recognise and crave what they have — a young, fresh love, a flame that is not hidden but that burns brightly for all to see. As their passion spreads, let us be consumed with this wildfire too.
Video
Prayer
I pray that we would be caught up again in your fire, Lord, in a passionate desire for all to know the love and the joy and the freedom that it is to know you.
I pray that we will not be found guilty of putting out the flame of those less mature in Christ. Rather, that we will take responsibility for this new flock, that we will blow on their flame, that we will disciple, not judge, that we will be consumed with the passion that they spread, once again consumed with our first love.
Amen.
Author Bio
Macaire is an advocate of prayer and living out an authentic, faith-filled life. Through her writing, she aims to encourage Christians to be grounded in the Bible as an anchor of life-giving hope and enduring truth.
Prayer Points for Five4Five 2026
1. Five people to trust in Christ and to share the gospel with those five in May. Matthew 28:19–20
2. Repentance, revival and reformation in Australia and for millions to believe in Jesus Christ. Luke 24:47
3. A Church that grows in extravagant love for God and people. 2 Corinthians 5:14–15
We invite you to support this campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to faith in Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.
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Beautiful words.
Thank you Macaire for reminding us of never letting go of first love & the importance of speaking life not death in to each other
Heartfelt devotional – thanks!
I too was disheartened to see the vitriol and claims of false confession thrown at that new, very public Christian that was caught off guard in finding a verse on live TV. But I have just watched his response in a video called a “Sunday service: On being judged” He and his wife, also a new believer, explore the parable of the Prodigal son. They know they are the younger son, saved by grace by a loving father. It is beautiful to see the depth of their love for Jesus and their desire to learn more.