We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

The first degree [of temptation] relates to the mind – it is dragged away from its duties by the deceit of sin. The second aims at the affections – they are enticed and entangled. The third overcomes the will – the consent of the will is the conception of actual sin. The fourth degree disrupts our way of life as sin is born into it. The fifth is the flesh’s goal, a hardened life of sin, which leads to eternal death (James 1:14-15).
Kris Lundgaard

The idea of staying close to one’s “first love” (Revelation 2:5) is referring to one’s devotion, not emotion. It is saying, “Let Christ be preeminent once again; do not let service take His place”… If we allow working for the Lord to take the place of walking with Him, there will be consequences… When you think about it, ministry really isn’t what we do for the Lord. It is what He does through us as we walk with Him.
Eddie Rasnake