This little letter to the church in Ephesus is loaded with both praise and criticism. Jesus commends their hard work, patient endurance, love of truth, and suffering. But, they had lost their first love Jesus and for each other.
Isn't that something we are all tempted to do? In the grind of life, feeling burdened with hard work and suffering, it's easy for our love to lose its sparkle and fervor.
Rather than criticizing the Ephesians, we should inventory our souls. Have we too lost our first love? As you reflect on this year, are you pleased with the way you have invested your time and energies? Are there changes you need to make in your lifestyle? Do you need to drop some activities or add others? What kinds of changes in your life would help you preserve your first love for God and others?
Family, church, vocation, and friends are all important - in balance. The greatest satisfaction in life is in investing your life in the lives of others, but you also need to take care of yourself. Proper food, sleep, and recreation keep the body strong. A daily quiet time with God and weekly involvement with other Christians energizes the spirit. Could a minor change in your lifestyle make a major difference in your effectiveness? By adding a rejuvenating activity and eliminating a draining one, could you regain your first love?
"Turn back to me," Jesus calls to us (Revelation 2:5).
Take some time to pray to ask God to give you ears to hear the Spirit (see Revelation 2:7), so that you understand His message to you, to help you regain and hold on to your first love for Jesus and for others, and to show you what changes you should make in your lifestyle.
Discuss or reflect on these questions:
Which activities in your life most drain you?
Which activities in your life revitalize you, making it easier for you to love God and others?
What changes should you consider making in your lifestyle?
Consider these passages for further study on Loving God:
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Joel 2:13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
When you focus your priorities on love first, it seems like everything falls in place. It makes me feel more serene knowing I put love first as the Lord first loved me. Thoughts of Gary Chapman.