Friends with Benefits or nah?

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place...Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:4‭-‬5,7 NIV

First loves are all in, die hard, together forever, "I'd do anything for you" kinds of love. We are so willing to put in the work to make it work. We are blinded by love and we want to be with that person forever. But just like most of our first love experiences, our love relationship with God fades and sometimes even morphs into a 'friends with benefits' arrangement where we ask, ask, ask and take, take, take but give nothing. We aren't willing to sacrifice for Him, we aren't willing to give anything back. Sometimes, like the nine lepers Jesus healed in Like 17, we forget to give even a simple "thank You". We become more focused on taking than we do on giving. In the 21st century, the term "friends with benefits" is common. It's usually a title given to two "friends" who decide to introduce physical intimacy as a part of their friendship but exclude all of the emotional investment and relational commitment that it takes to be in a conventional romantic relationship. In many cases, it's an unbalanced exchange because one person usually develops real romantic feelings and wants commitment instead of a solely physical intimacy. Similarly, in our relationship with God, we sometimes lose sight of the real purpose of the relationship. It becomes more about us than it does about God. It becomes less about His glory and more about our comfort and happiness, more about what we can get out of God than what we can give. Today, God is calling us back to our first love: Him! It's not about the trappings. It's not about what we can acquire from and through Him. It's all about Him. It starts with Him and it ends with Him. There was a time when the Word of God was your bread but somehow you have forsaken the feast prepared for you, to instead, dine on crumbs. Return. Turn. Forsake your comfort. Leave the shore. Venture out into the deep. Return to your first love. Do the things you did at first. Reciprocity is important in any relationship. We must ask ourselves, "how would I feel if I were in a relationship with someone and all they were doing was taking from me and giving nothing?" I'm sure we'd be questioning whether we want to stay in that relationship or not. In the same way, God wants His relationship with us to be mutual. He wants a beautiful exchange. Our trust for His faithfulness, our shame for His grace, but He also wants our commitment, our obedience and our perseverance. He will not disappoint when we become naked and unashamed before Him. 

He doesn't want just some of you. He wants ALL of you. He will pour out everything you need, that's a promise, but He demands your surrender to His plans and purposes.

Jesus loves you unconditionally. He has always loved you. And He will always love you. But...will you love Him? In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 1 John 5:3 NIV