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26th January 2025
SundayReflection
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"Dr. Ralph F. Wilson"
Director of Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries
"Regaining Your First Love"
'Revelation 2:4'
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We can drift, drift in the current, and drift far away before we know it.
When you read Jesus' Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2 and 3, you sense this drift.
Once shining beacons of the gospel of Christ in Asia, they are dimmer now.
These churches seem to have been planted by Paul's disciples during the years of his remarkable ministry at Ephesus.
By the time John writes Revelation, some of these churches are large and seemingly prosperous, but not all is at it seems.
The Church at Laodicea, for example, perceives itself as rich and prosperous, but Jesus exposes it as lukewarm -- "wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked".
The Church at Smyrna has the reputation of being alive, but Jesus tells them, "You are dead".
The pride of the Asian churches is Ephesus, founded in the capital city of the province by the Apostle Paul himself.
Here Paul spent three years teaching and discipling.
It is a large church, made up of dozens of house churches scattered throughout the great city.
The Apostle John ministered here too.
In Jesus' letter to the Church at Ephesus, he commends it for its works, its toil, its patient endurance.
It is an orthodox church, recognizing false apostles and exposing them.
It has rejected the heretical doctrine of the Nicolaitans, a group that advocates sexual immorality and close association with idol worship. The church stands strong in right teaching.
But then Jesus pronounces this terrible assessment:
"Yet I hold this against you:
You have forsaken your first love.
Remember the height from which 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."
(Revelation 2:4-5, NIV)
What does it mean, "You have forsaken your first love"?
To properly interpret this verse we need to examine two words:
"Love" is agapé, the self-giving love that Jesus and the apostles taught.
This love is expressed in two ways: first, towards God, then, towards fellow human beings.
They are linked, but love for God takes priority.
You've moved away from your love for me, Jesus is saying.
You've departed.
Even though you haven't formally renounced your love for me, you've seemed to give it up.
You've allowed religious activity, patient good works, to take the place of the white-hot love you had for me when you first became my disciple.
When I write these words I feel like weeping.
How disappointing for Jesus to see us begin so well and then gradually drift from personal devotion to him, while becoming diligent at the outward forms of our religion.
We go through the motions of faith and worship and caring for the needy in our communities, but our heart is somehow stunted, suppressed, quiet towards God. How very sad!
Many is the pastor who is so busy trying to keep up with the ministry, that he or she neglects time alone with Jesus, because "there is only so much time in the day."
When we prioritize ministry over time with Jesus (and I've been guilty of that), we choose the poorer portion, we have prioritized something that is not essential.
What is necessary, essential, irreplaceable, is time at Jesus' feet in prayer, praise, reading the Word, listening, meditation. Ministry follows that.
Jesus himself sets the example for us.
After healing all the sick in Capernaum at Peter's doorstep, the next morning, Jesus is no where to be found.
Crowds of people are milling around carrying sick relatives, wanting his attention, demanding healing.
When the disciples finally find Jesus, he is in a lonely place praying.
He has been talking with the Father.
The priority is this: Father first, then ministry.
Without this time with Jesus, we gradually become dry. So dry!
Where once we couldn't get enough of Him, now we are too busy in good works to notice him.
We have lost our first love.
The first step back to him is recognizing our dryness for what it is.
Fortunately for us, Jesus loves us and understands us and calls us back to him.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
"Dr. Ralph F. Wilson "
is the Director of Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries, and writes nearly all the material on his various websites.
He has an intense interest in using the Internet to teach the Bible and to train disciples.
Since retirement, he and his wife are active at Rock Harbor Covenant Church, Rocklin, California (2014-present).
He has served as an usher and on the Leadership Team, and presently serves as a member of the Communication Team
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