Revelation 2:4-5 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.
In this verse of scripture,
we see Christ warning the Ephesian Church about a Lukewarm Christian Life's
danger. These believers had lost their zeal and were a prime example of a
lukewarm or a cooled down faith. They were still working for the Lord but as a
matter of habit, not with a sincere heart. Christ Jesus meant the admonition
given to the church at Ephesus for all churches down through the ages.
There are many today in countless churches whose faith has cooled down from when they first got saved. Jesus is talking to the bewildered and unconcerned believers who are doing His work for all the wrong reasons. It is not our meaningless and hollow service He wants; it is us He wants, our heart, mind, body, and soul. When a person starts to give a higher priority to things of the world, the importance of our work for God will begin to diminish, and our heart will begin to cool down. In the text above, Jesus said that they had forsaken the "love they had at first."
We can all remember the elation we felt at the heartbeat of our Salvation. If the fire that raged in our heart, then has gone down to smoldering ashes then we are guilty of forsaking your first love. When this happens to one member of the body of Christ it will spread more quickly than the fastest growing cancer. Before we realize it, the heart and soul of the entire church is cooled down. He has given us the solution to this problem, and it is merely repentance.
When Jesus said: "If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place," This is not someone losing their Salvation, since that would be impossible. Jesus warns that He will remove the church's effectiveness in the world around it; an ineffective church is no more than the elements that make the building, bricks, mortar, boards, and nails.
Returning to a sincere and passionate service for our Lord and Savior sometimes might be a long road, but it always starts with the first step, and that step is repentance. We must put Jesus back where he belongs in our lives, which is in the number one position in our hearts, souls, and lives. Daily, regular Bible study and prayer, along with a quiet time spent with Christ Jesus is the only path by which we can return to that intense burning fire we knew as our first love.
God wants to have a personal and intimate relationship with every one of His children. We should be asking ourselves today: Are we as excited or more excited about Jesus today as we were at the moment of our Salvation? Are we as close or closer to Jesus now than we were when we first got saved? If the answer to both of these questions is not a resounding yes, then we should be down on our knees at the altar at the next worship service, asking God to forgive us and rekindle that flame that burnt so fervently at the beginning.
If You would like the Verse of the Day sent to your daily E-Mail send a request in the "Comments" section. Please include your e-mail address
No comments:
Post a Comment