WHERE'S THE LOVE?
Revelation 2:1-5 NKJV
1 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
I could have titled this devotional 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling.' When it comes to love, there is a vast array of songs with love in the title to choose from. But this is a bit more serious. This is a message from Jesus to the church at Ephesus. The beginning of the message in verse one to the angel of the church of Ephesus may be better translated as messenger. I don't believe Jesus ever delivered this kind of message to an angelic being.
Jesus, in every message to the churches, starts with "I know your works." So it is evident that Jesus knows what is going on. I believe we sometimes act as if the Lord is not aware of what is taking place in our lives, but He knows our works. But with the Ephesian church, Jesus knew their labor and perseverance. He was aware of not just what they were doing but how they were doing it.
Jesus noted that the church was not tolerating those who were evil. No more details were listed, but it would seem that the evil was related to the church, not the society they were living in. I am making that assumption based on what the Lord communicated next. The church had tested individuals who claimed to be apostles but were not and were found to be liars. There are always those who look to take advantage of people. Some have preyed on the church because believers tend to believe. Many scams have been successful against the church due to people not checking the fruit and the lives of those making big claims. Jesus was commending the church on their discernment and refusal to accept just anyone regardless of what they said about themselves.
Jesus goes back to commending the church for their perseverance. The word is actually the word "borne." The Olive Tree word study says metaphorically it means "to bear, support, endure, i.e., labors, sufferings, burden, or weight." The church had held up under pressure and had persevered. And this church had worked for the Lord's name and had not gotten tired and given up.
It would appear that the church at Ephesus was doing well. But Jesus was not done. He had one more thing. That the church had left its first love. The implication here is that the first love is their love for the Lord Himself. And it's easy to see how this occurred. The church was working and laboring and was not giving up. They were diligent about the things of God but may have grown cold in their love for the Lord. People can get so involved in the work of the church that they grow farther away from the Head of the Church. Our Christian life is and always will be about relationship. Our relationship with the Lord is the first work. When this first work is out of order, it can cause problems down the road. This letter and message is a warning to all of us who are part of the church. We must keep our love for the Lord at the forefront. Then all our work and efforts in ministry will flow from that place. The hard-working church at Ephesus was called back to their relationship with the Lord. We are blessed if we listen to this warning and stay with or repent and return to our love for the Lord Jesus.
PRAYER
Lord, You are my first love, and my commitment is to You first, not the work of ministry. Thank You for calling me back to my relationship with You.