“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. 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. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
-- Revelation 2: 1-4
The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches at the time that John the apostle was writing Revelation, but there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today.
The church of Ephesus had many positive qualities; Christ commended them in five specific ways—they were dynamic, dedicated, determined, disciplined, and discerning (Rev. 2:2-3). But verse 4 reveals where they went wrong. “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Everything about the Ephesian church looked good on the outside, but inwardly they had heart trouble. Their devotion to Christ was waning. Their work was no longer motivated by love.
We live in an age where we are constantly being bombarded by technology and media. Cell phones, laptops, tablets and the like enable us to be in constant contact with the globe. News travels instantly. We have young people who can navigate Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and SnapChat, but who can’t effectively communicate to create a resume or excel in the workplace. Our churches are busier than ever before. We put on more programs, do more live broadcast of Periscope and Facebook live and Livestream our services. In the midst of all that stimulation and all those things beckoning for our attention, somehow the God we say we love can often get drowned out in the midst. We have to be careful that we don’t allow the work of the ministry and the cares of this life to overshadow the God of the ministry.
God Has to Come First—Your First Love
That sounds obvious for a Christian. However, many of us believe it in theory, but not in practice and practical application.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
The Hebrew used for love in this passage denotes human love for another and includes family, and sexual. It also means a human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, and wisdom. It is a human love for or to God and includes the act of being a friend.
So, we are to love Him like we love food and sleep. We are to be His friends. Our hearts (mind, will, understanding and inclinations) are to be toward Him. Our souls (appetites, desires, and passion) are to be toward Him and we are to love Him forcefully, exceedingly, and abundantly. You may say, “Well what does that look like?” It looks like Jesus. It looks like a life sold out to Him. It looks like a life where we submit our words, deeds, and desires to His Lordship. It looks like a life where we tell others about Him—not out of obligation, but out of exuberance.
It is out of our heart for Him that we are enabled to love others. When our hearts are not right with the Lord, typically our other relationships struggle. Love is not optional in the Kingdom. It is a foundational requirement. We are to love God; then ourselves, and then others. When our hearts are not right with God or ourselves, it throws everything else off.
Unlike other doctrines and religions that are based on dead works, the whole basis and foundation of Christianity is love. Our covenant with God has never been about works, but rather relationship—Covenant Relationship. It is about a loving God, who created man in His image and likeness, who makes covenant with imperfect free will creatures. He’s the God who came and got you out of whatever hellish existence you were trying to live in without Him. He’s the God who has sustained you and brought you to this point. He’s the God who doesn’t want you dully going through the motions of being a Christian, with your heart being far off from Him. He wants your whole heart. The foundation of His Covenant relationship with you is LOVE.
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