by Robert Turner<\/p>\n
A tap at the study door announced a timid and frightened young couple. Their marriage was “coming apart” – or so they thought – and since I had “performed their ceremony,” they had come to me for help.<\/p>\n
The timid approach fooled me. What should have been an easy “patch-up” job grew more complicated as we discussed the details. Recalling each incident of friction led to charges of blame, efforts to justify, and defense of pride. The situation was growing steadily worse when, in desperation, I tried the magic of “first love.”<\/p>\n
“Please arise, and stand here,” I requested, indicating the exact spot where they had made their vows. Picking up my Bible, I stepped into place before them. “And now, will you join right hands.” Then, as they grew silent with their memories, I reminded them of the pledges they had made “before God and to one another” on that eventful day some months earlier.<\/p>\n
Before my little speech was finished – maybe I was overplaying my part in the drama they interrupted to thank me, and hurried out of the room, hand in hand. Perhaps they had heard little of what I said, but they recalled their own hopes and determinations of first love, and that was enough.<\/p>\n
The Hebrew writer urged faithfulness by saying, “Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions<\/em>” (Hebrews 10:32). When we “leave our first love<\/em>,” (Revelation 2:4ff) it must be restored if our union with Christ is to survive.<\/p>\n When brethren “go a-gadding” after strange doctrines, human institutions, the social gospel, etc., they have neglected their first love – their espousal to Christ. (II Corinthians 11:1-3) They profit little by tongue-lashings, ridicule, or even sound high-powered argumentation – especially if they are so self-willed as to be no longer interested in the Bible pattern. Unless their love for and determination to serve Jesus Christ can be rekindled, all else is vain.<\/p>\n Please join hands – with the Lord!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Robert Turner A tap at the study door announced a timid and frightened young couple. Their marriage was “coming apart” – or so they thought – and since I had “performed their ceremony,” they had come to me for help. The timid approach fooled me. What should have been an easy “patch-up” job grew…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1177,65],"class_list":["post-56242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-commitment","tag-love"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20149,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-know-i-am-loving-my-brethren\/","url_meta":{"origin":56242,"position":0},"title":"How do I know I am loving my brethren?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello. I have a question about love in the biblical sense. I am a member of the church and have been for a while now, but I am confused by the meaning of love in the Bible. I know this sounds like a stupid question, but is love a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32074,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/will-we-experience-romantic-love-in-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":56242,"position":1},"title":"Will we experience romantic love in heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If a person dies before getting to marry and experience sex and romantic love, will they experience that in heaven or the new earth? Will romantic love be done away with forever after death? I really enjoy that aspect of life and don't want it to disappear forever. Forever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40684,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/in-everything-give-thanks\/","url_meta":{"origin":56242,"position":2},"title":"In Everything Give Thanks","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Paul says, \"this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you\" (I Thessalonians 5:18). This is what God wants. He doesn't want us to spend our time complaining and griping. Such a negative disposition! His will is that we spend our time \"giving thanks\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/shy.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19773,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-brother-embarrassed-my-non-christian-friend-what-should-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":56242,"position":3},"title":"My brother embarrassed my non-Christian friend. What should I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a friend whom I've known for about a month. We talk every so often and hang out. We went hiking yesterday and it was the first time she was over at my house. I don't date non-Christians and she is not a Christian. She knows this and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22938,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-need-to-be-thinking-about-remission-of-sin-when-being-baptized-for-it-to-be-valid\/","url_meta":{"origin":56242,"position":4},"title":"Do you need to be thinking about remission of sin when being baptized for it to be valid?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a member of the church but have become paranoid recently about an issue relating to baptism.\u00a0I read something recently by a member of the church who wrote that if you were not \u201cthinking\u201d about remission of sins specifically when you were baptized, then your baptism was basically\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55023,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-appeal-of-ketchersides-teachings\/","url_meta":{"origin":56242,"position":5},"title":"The Appeal of Ketcherside’s Teachings","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Herschel Patton via\u00a0Truth Magazine\u00a0- April 1974 We have been saddened lately by a few brethren, mostly among the young, abandoning strict adherence to a \"thus saith the Lord\" and casting their lot with liberal brethren, even to the extent of \"open fellowship\" with the denominations - as advocated by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56242\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}