"First Love"

My first love was the horses,

And the cowboy way you know,

But at church they preached salvation,

Or to hell I’d surely go.

And none of those old cowboys,

Least not the ones I knew,

Lived boldly for the Savior,

But to them I closely grew.

And that was my dilemma,

Didn’t want to go to hell,

But in my heart a cowboy,

As much as I could tell.

Finally gave my life to Jesus,

But the cowboy still was there,

Tried to do what I was told to,

But with you I will share,

That if we will surrender,

All the parts of who we are,

He knows better how to lead us,

And how to use our lives by far.

And it’s been a long, wide circle,

But I’ve finally come to know,

That a cowboy can love Jesus,

And be in the Spirit’s flow.

The Good Book says it plainly,

That our first love is the best,

Making Jesus Lord of all,

Will bring you through life’s test.

And He knows every one of us,

And how it all makes sense,

To use all that we have and love,

I’ve been thankful ever since,

He showed me if I stayed close,

A cowboy I could be,

As long as He’s my first love,

His grace I’d always see.

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4, NAS)

Our first love with the Lord Jesus refers to how we felt when we first experienced His grace. That joy and exuberance can be lost over time if we are not careful. The Ephesian church was perhaps the strongest in many ways. But the Spirit challenged them to repent and return to their first love. This is a good word for us, especially if we have struggled with what it really means to live full-out for the Savior. No competing identity should be allowed to dull our passion. Instead, we surrender all that we are and pledge to love Him with all our hearts.

Lord, help us return to our first love, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robert “Shoofly” Shufelt, used by permission. Thanks, and God bless you.