First Love
Revelation 2:1-4
The First Love: Rekindling Our Passion for God
In the bustling port city of Ephesus, an early Christian church faced a pivotal moment. On the surface, they were doing everything right - standing firm against false teachings, enduring hardships, and maintaining sound doctrine. Yet, beneath this veneer of righteousness, a critical issue was brewing. They had lost their first love.
This ancient church's story, chronicled in the book of Revelation, serves as a powerful mirror for our modern spiritual lives. How often do we find ourselves going through the motions of faith, ticking all the right boxes, yet feeling a disconnect in our hearts?
Ephesus was no small town. As the fourth-largest city in the Roman Empire, it was a melting pot of commerce, culture, and conflicting ideologies. Christians there faced immense pressure to conform, to sprinkle incense and declare "Caesar is Lord" just to conduct business or buy food. The cultural push to accommodate pagan practices was relentless.
In many ways, our world today isn't so different. We face our own set of pressures - to conform to societal norms that often clash with our faith, to prioritize worldly success over spiritual growth, or to water down our beliefs to fit in. The struggle is real, whether it's deciding whether to display a certain flag in your business or choosing between church and travel sports for your kids.
But here's the crux of the matter: We can look the part and still be sick on the inside. We can say all the right things, do all the right deeds, and still miss the heart of what it means to follow Christ.
The message to the Ephesian church was clear: "You have forsaken the love you had at first." It's a sobering reminder that it's not enough to simply know about God or to go through the motions of religion. James 2:19 reminds us that even the demons believe in God - and shudder. What sets us apart is love.
This isn't about feelings or emotions, though. It's about a deep, abiding commitment to God that influences every aspect of our lives. It's about making Jesus our first love, not just in word, but in deed and in truth.
So how do we rekindle this first love? The prescription given to the Ephesians offers us a roadmap:
Remember: Recall the passion and zeal you once had for God. Think back to the moments when your faith felt alive and vibrant. Re-evangelize yourself with the gospel story.
Repent: Acknowledge where you've allowed other loves to take precedence in your life. Repentance is a gift - an opportunity to realign our hearts with God's.
Redo: Return to the practices that once fueled your love for God. Was it regular worship? Deep Bible study? Fellowship with other believers? Rekindling often means returning to basics.
This journey isn't always easy. Like a marriage, our relationship with God requires constant nurturing. It's not about feelings, but about choice - choosing daily to love God above all else, even when we don't feel like it.
Consider the analogy of teaching a child to apologize. It's easy to say "sorry" without meaning it, just going through the motions. But true repentance and love require us to engage our hearts, to cultivate compassion, to truly see the other person. In the same way, God calls us to engage our whole selves in our relationship with Him.
The stakes are high. To the Ephesian church, Jesus warned that if they didn't rekindle their love, He would remove their lampstand - a symbol of His presence and blessing. We too risk losing the vibrancy and power of our faith if we allow it to become mere routine.
But there's hope. Just as a seemingly healthy athlete might discover a hidden illness through a routine check-up, this message serves as a spiritual health check. It's an invitation to look beneath the surface of our religious activities and examine the state of our hearts.
Are we like the people Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7, who did many good deeds in His name but never truly knew Him? Or are we cultivating a deep, abiding love for God that transforms every aspect of our lives?
The choice is ours. Will we be content with a faith that looks good on the outside but lacks inner fire? Or will we pursue a passionate, all-encompassing love for God that changes us from the inside out?
As we reflect on these questions, let's remember the words of 1 Corinthians 13: "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." All our religious activities, all our good deeds, all our knowledge - it amounts to nothing if not rooted in love for God.
Today, let's commit to rekindling our first love. Let's remember the passion we once had, repent of the ways we've allowed other loves to take precedence, and return to the practices that once fueled our devotion.
In a world that constantly vies for our affection and allegiance, may we choose daily to make Jesus our first and greatest love. For in doing so, we not only enrich our own spiritual lives but also become beacons of His love to a world in desperate need of it.