“Honey, do you still love me,” I asked my husband, after over two decades of marriage.
“Well, of course. Why?”
“You used to carry a picture of me in your wallet. Then I got replaced by the grandkids. And that’s ok. But now? It’s THE CAR!”
My hubby is a gearhead guy. A Mustang man. He loves classic cars, especially his 1969 Mustang Mach 1 with its 390 engine and automatic transmission. All that’s nice, but what’s important to me is this: It is Calypso Coral. A pretty peachy-orange color. Like a beautiful sunset.
We often joke that he has forgotten his first love, but when we’re talking about cars, it’s all in good fun. However, God warns us in scripture that we “have abandoned the love you had at first (Revelation 2:4).” We so easily forget His goodness, and turn our backs on Him. We don’t remember His faithfulness.
Look at Aaron, Moses’ brother.
“Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:9-11 NIV)
Aaron and a few other Israelite leaders went up Mount Sinai with Moses and met with God. Not only that, but they shared a meal with Him! Can you imagine the awe and wonder they must have felt? They were in the presence of almighty God! And they ate supper with Him. I don’t think I would’ve been able to eat anything. The nerves!
Not long after this, Moses met with God again on the mountain, this time without Aaron. It took longer than the people in camp thought it should. So they began complaining to Aaron, who was in charge.
“Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (Exodus 32:1 NASB)
Aaron gathers all the gold jewelry and makes a golden calf for the people to worship! Not only that, he tells Moses: I threw the gold into the fire, and out came this calf (Ex. 32:24)!
Really Aaron? That golden calf just so happened to jump out of the fire? You didn’t mold a blob of gold into a calf-looking idol?
We tend to judge Aaron. But we are also quick to forget all God has done for us. The minute a trial of any sort comes our way, we are wringing our hands, wondering what we will do. We don’t remember that God brought us out of a fire last week.
Oh how soon we forget. That’s why Scripture reminds us over and over to recall what God has done. (Deuteronomy is an especially good place to see what God wants us to remember). God has to continually remind us to remember.
Make it a practice to remember. Think about all Jesus has done for you. Remember His love for you. Remember He has given you His Holy Spirit.
Yes, remember your first love.
For His glory,
