Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.
The Ephesian church was an active church. They were doing the work of the ministry, battling off the false apostles and Nicolaitans, and staying with it when they got weary. It was a model church, except for one thing. They had stopped maintaining the relationship with Jesus. The work and the cause had become more important than maintaining their most important thing, their love for Jesus. When we neglect our love for Jesus, we soon drift spiritually. That was Jesus’ accusation against them. Can it stick to us?
The first place we should look when our faith grows cold and dry is our love for Jesus. It is an easy mistake to make. We get busy with life, and some important project or crisis takes center stage, and we stop going to our source of life. Before we know it, we are going through the motions spiritually. We show up to church, but we’re not really into it, and our minds wander during the sermon to all of the things we need to do. Stress prevents sleep, so we lie awake at night worrying about things beyond our control, and then we are too tired to do our Bible reading and prayer in the morning. Before we know it, we have pulled back from everything to do with God and are trying to do it on our own.
If you find yourself in this situation, how do you find your way back? Let me offer you some encouragement. You can turn back at any time, and Jesus will be there to meet you. Jesus said He will never leave nor forsake you, so that means when we drift off, He goes with us. He doesn’t expect us to jump through hoops to get back. It just takes us repenting of our sins and going back to the works that stoked our love for Jesus when we first got saved.
When Jesus talks about returning to our first love, it means making Him our top priority. Matt 6:33 says to, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.” We have to make our relationship with Him the most important thing. This means giving it the time and attention necessary to maintain and grow in our faith. As a Christian, if you have drifted from the Lord recognize where you have ended up and seek Jesus.
