The first part of Jeremiah’s message is simply summarized in the word, “remember.”

“Remember how it was when you first loved Me,” the Lord says to His people through Jeremiah - “even when the land was yet wilderness, before it was prosperous.”

I think of the words of Jesus to the church at Ephesus when He says, “I know all your good works, all your activities, all the ministry you’re doing. But I have something against you. You’ve left your first love. Your love for Me has diminished. Remember from whence thou art fallen” (see Revelation 2:2-5).

Can you remember a time when you loved the Lord more than you do now? Was there a time when your love for Him was real and fresh and vital? Have things changed? Are devotions a drag? Is church a drudgery? Are the things of God a burden? “Remember,” God would say, “how it was when you really sought Me. They may have been wilderness times, difficult times, but you loved Me and were wholly committed to Me.”