Forgetting Your First Love
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 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. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:4-6)
In this passage, we see the problem that the church at Ephesus was facing; unfortunately, the same problem exists today. John mentions the real problem in verse four, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
This is truly concerning. These people were once vibrant, where they couldn't wait to tell others about Jesus. Now, they don’t have this. This church was once full of commitment, pain, and whatever price it took to follow Christ. They don’t have it anymore. They were once standing in leadership, discerning and wise; they were an example to follow, but not now.
You can be a believer, saved and secure, and going to heaven. However, you can also be a believer acting as if nothing spiritual has ever happened to you. Do you understand that? Many Christians today are right there in that discouraging place, lacking hope, joy, and fire.
The first step to apostasy is falling out of love with Jesus. The church at Ephesus had lost the passion and the fire for Christ. Now they are living on the fumes of what they once had. Jesus said, “I have a big concern. You have fallen out of love with Me. You have left your first love.”
It’s sad that many believers today fit that description. They are not where they used to be when they first started following Christ. Is that where you are? If you look back on when you first met Christ, do you still have that passion and fire to win your friends and family to Christ? Or are you just focused on discipleship and wanting to go deeper? I pray that you will meditate on those questions and this passage from Revelation. Ask the Lord to reignite your fire for Him, if you, too, have forgotten your first love.
In this passage, we see the problem that the church at Ephesus was facing; unfortunately, the same problem exists today. John mentions the real problem in verse four, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
This is truly concerning. These people were once vibrant, where they couldn't wait to tell others about Jesus. Now, they don’t have this. This church was once full of commitment, pain, and whatever price it took to follow Christ. They don’t have it anymore. They were once standing in leadership, discerning and wise; they were an example to follow, but not now.
You can be a believer, saved and secure, and going to heaven. However, you can also be a believer acting as if nothing spiritual has ever happened to you. Do you understand that? Many Christians today are right there in that discouraging place, lacking hope, joy, and fire.
The first step to apostasy is falling out of love with Jesus. The church at Ephesus had lost the passion and the fire for Christ. Now they are living on the fumes of what they once had. Jesus said, “I have a big concern. You have fallen out of love with Me. You have left your first love.”
It’s sad that many believers today fit that description. They are not where they used to be when they first started following Christ. Is that where you are? If you look back on when you first met Christ, do you still have that passion and fire to win your friends and family to Christ? Or are you just focused on discipleship and wanting to go deeper? I pray that you will meditate on those questions and this passage from Revelation. Ask the Lord to reignite your fire for Him, if you, too, have forgotten your first love.
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