FIRST LOVE MUST BE FOREMOST

September 15, 2024

I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first loveG26.

Revelation 2:2-4

2:4 left your first love. To be a Christian is to love the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:21, 23; 1 Cor. 16:22). But the Ephesians’ passion and fervor for Christ had become cold, mechanical orthodoxy. Their doctrinal and moral purity, their undiminished zeal for the truth, and their disciplined service were no substitute for the love for Christ they had forsaken.

MacArthur Study Bible

Good works that are not fueled by a fervent love for Jesus are riddled with holes like a piece of Swiss cheese. We can robotically do all the things we think a Christian should do but have a stone-cold heart toward God. Doing good out of obligation leaves the love of Jesus behind. In other words, ritual without relationship has no real value. Even our “worship” can become “mouthing hymns and reading prayers” as a song from the musical “Real” described it. We can serve on the committees, feed the poor, attend and participate in all the Bible studies, cry out against injustice, etc. but no longer enjoy the intimate, loving relationship with God that Jesus died to give us!

If we find ourselves just “going through the motions,” what should we do? First, examine whether we have truly surrendered to the Lord. If we are certain of our salvation, we may need to meditate on what Christ has done for us. If you are too busy to read the Bible and pray, you are too busy! Slow down from all the activity of modern Christianity and spend some quality time with the Christ, the Son of the living God, who loved us enough to leave Paradise knowing He was to die in our place, cruelly crucified. What greater love could there be?

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Father, may we truly never forget what Christ did for us. Keep our hearts steadfast and firm in Your love. Let our love for You be the motivation for all that we do for others. Thank You for Your unfailing love!