Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
In Revelation chapter two, we read in the first letter to the Ephesians that despite all the praise Christ had just given to this church, there was one point that was not admirable to Him. Jesus was so dismayed by this one serious problem that He told the Ephesian believers about it.
In Revelation 2:4, Jesus told the church of Ephesus, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
Having praised the church of Ephesus for its doctrinal integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity, Jesus reveals in verse four what He found lacking in the Ephesian church. It had left the love that characterized its early history. It had left what made her a great example as a church. Sadly, what remained now was just a devotion to the truth, but not devotion to the Lord.
The Ephesian church's love for Jesus had grown cold, leaving only an obedience to rules and doctrines rather than obedience to Christ.
As children of God, we need to examine ourselves constantly to make sure our love is still devoted to Him.
The following are some signs that can help you discover if you have left that first love in your Christian life.
• You don't have a strong desire to spend time alone with Him.
• You no longer feel that insatiable hunger to read His Word and learn from it.
• Spending time in prayer has become a burden on your life, when it should be a delight to you.
• Your worship has become formal, dry, and lifeless. You only act like others in the congregation by worshiping.
• You have little appetite for spiritual food and more for tasting the flavors of life.
• Your heart is no longer fervent and passionate as before; it has now become cold and indifferent.
• Christianity has become a series of steps to be followed, rather than maintaining a living relationship with Christ.
• Your obedience and service are nourished and motivated by the expectations that are generated in others, or by the desire to impress others, instead of passionately serving Christ.
• Your service to Christ and to others is motivated by a sense of obligation.
• You don't find happiness easily in the little details that God gives us every day.
• You no longer grieve for sin. You don't feel that burden within you for having failed Jesus and having grieved His Holy Spirit.
• You rarely sacrifice yourself for the Lord's work.
Here are a few things that we need to constantly remember if we want to renew our devotion to the Lord as our first love:
1. We must examine ourselves.
2. We must be humble to recognize our spiritual situation.
3. Let’s go back and work on walking with the Lord like we used to.
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