In Sunday's sermon, we discussed Jesus' evaluation of the church in Ephesus. Jesus complimented their faithfulness in numerous important areas. However there was one rather major issue that Jesus had with this church. They had "abandoned their first love". How can we know if we've "abandoned our first love"? According to Jesus, their works were good but that's clearly not an indicator of their hearts. We can and often do operate seemingly well without true and pure motives. Below I'll list some indicators that may help you to determine if you've abandoned your first love. Have you abandoned together these activities totally? Do you participate in them but as a choir and burden rather than with a joyous heart?
Possible indicators
Loss of desire to spend quiet time with God in prayer & Bible reading.
Prefer to be with someone that hinders your relationship with the Lord rather than encourages it.
Lack of desire to meet regularly with God's people for worship, fellowship, ministry, Bible study, prayer, and accountability.
You desire to sin more then please God and you're quick to make excuses for sin.
Loss of desire to give cheerfully toward the cause of Christ.
Measure spiritual condition by performance and comparison rather than growing relationship with Jesus.
More concerned about the sin of others than your own sin.
What if you have "abandoned your first love?
Jesus tells us clearly in Revelation 2:5 to:
- Remember
Remember what your relationship was like when you met Jesus? Remember that passion, love, and commitment! Then...
- Repent
Agree with God that you've sinned. Ask for forgiveness, and make a conscious decision in the power of the Holy Spirt to do things God's way. The word repent literally means to make a 180. You're headed in one direction and you turn and go the opposite direction. It can take some time for our emotions to catch up with our decision.
- Repeat
Jesus says to do the works that you did before. It's clear that the heart of the issue is the issue of the heart.
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