Have You Left Your First Love?

“I know your works, your labour, 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; and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name's sake and have not become weary.
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
[Revelation 2:2-4]

The Church at Ephesus is often called ‘The Loveless Church’, but really that is not strictly accurate. The text says that you have left your first love, not that you do not love. Perhaps it would be better called ‘The Misplaced Love Church’, or ‘The Church That Loved Others Before God’.

Plainly the Ephesians were doing many things aright as verses 2 and 3 reveal — they seem adept at religious observance and ‘doing’ things correctly — but it seems that they did not follow the first and second commandments.

Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
[Matthew 22:37-40]

Can I lay my hand on my heart and say that my first and foremost love is The Lord: do I love Him more than I love my life, my wife, my children or grandchildren? This first love is not an early infatuation before finding true love; it is a love before all others; it is the agape love that God has for each of us; the highest, purest form of love imaginable.

I did not answer my question, and the truthful answer is I believe so, I hope so, I trust so, but only God can judge. He has evidenced His love for me time and again.

In the final analysis, what we seem to be looking at here is passion. We might be great at the work, persevering in faith, patient and resisting evil, but none of these things reveal a passion for Him, certainly nothing like the passion He pours out on us. Let your life be a passionate expression of The Lord.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your passion is overwhelming and restoring to me. You lift me up when I fall down. You are always there for me and I need your help to keep me focussed on You, acknowledging You as my first and greatest love.

“The King of Love My Shepherd Is” — Mass of The Rock

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OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE
Tuesday 25th August 2020
It is easy for me to talk about what I could do with a thousand pounds if I had it; the test is what I do with the 2 pence I have got. It may be hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, but it is just as hard for a poor man to seek first the kingdom of God.

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