Scripture – ““To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 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.”
Revelation 2:1-5 NIV
Observation – Jesus is telling the church in Ephesus that he is pleased with their perseverance, their endurance and their ability to endure hardships but he is disappointed that they have forsaken the love they had at first. Forsaken means to abandon. They abandoned their first love.
Application – A relationship that is void of emotion and whose foundation is obligation will leave one person longing for intimacy and warmth. It is common for the church to teach us that feelings are unreliable and can lead to deception, while facts and faith will sustain us during the storms of life. This is true but, as 1 Corinthians 13:13 states, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” If you have lost your love for Christ rekindle that relationship so you can experience his love for you. Jesus is sitting in the same place on the couch, you have moved away from him, scoot back over.
Prayer – Lord, having someone genuinely love you is one of the greatest feelings in this life. Thank you for that. I pray that everyone who knows you would live in a way that demonstrates that they truly believe it and I pray for those who aren’t experiencing your care and presence, that they would spend a lot of time getting to know you again. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 