If Jesus wrote a letter personally to you and to me, what would it say? In what areas would He say you and I were faithful and what weaknesses would He point out?
Here’s what He had John write to the Ephesians.
Revelation 2:1-7 “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. 2 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. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my
name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love
you had at first. 5 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. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of
the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 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.
Jesus recognized the Ephesian church’s faithful service,
faithful doctrine and faithful endurance. They worked hard for Him and were
conscientious to uphold Godly standards. However, they had forsaken their faithful
love for Him. Maybe they were so focused on their work FOR Jesus, that they
forgot to BE with Jesus.
Jesus wants us to faithfully serve Him and uphold His
truths, but not at the expense of truly spending time with Him. He desires our
love first. He wants a personal relationship with each of His children where we
enjoy Him, talk to Him and listen to Him.
Are you and I more focused on serving God than loving and
enjoying Him? Often, my answer is yes. Studying this passage really challenged
me to take time to be with and enjoy God instead of focusing most of my energy
on serving Him.
What might need to be put off in order to pursue loving
God more? Is someone or something else our first love? Or is it God Himself? He
loves us so much and desires us to faithfully love and enjoy Him!
