[Revelation] To the Church at Ephesus Smakprov

Do the Things You Did at First

When we first fall in love, all we want is to spend as much time as possible with our loved one. All we want is to please that chosen person. Accordingly, we can compare being in love with a person to our love when we first committed our lives to our Lord and Savior. The Lord Jesus exhorts the Church at Ephesus to return to its first love, which basically means to do the things we used to do when we first came to know our Lord. But what are those things? Well, let us start by remembering when we could not miss a church service or arrive late. Why would missing church be such a big deal? Because going to church meant, and it still means, having a very fulfilling encounter with our Lord. It means learning what He wants for us, which should be the very desire of our heart, acquiring His much-needed grace, and wanting to please Him.

We can also remember that praying and reading the Bible was a delight. It demonstrated how thirsty we were to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that we needed to grow in the knowledge of our Lord. Regrettably, after some time, the delight turned into a duty. How did we lose such joy, such thirst? One thing is sure: we didn't notice how or when we started losing our first love. That's the main reason we lost it. We were not aware that we were growing cold.

Did you know that we can find thermometers in the Bible? We can find one in the letter addressed to the Church of Laodicea. There, we find Jesus telling that church that He knows them to be neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm. Jesus took the temperature of the Laodiceans and found them to have lost their passion. We, just like the Laodiceans, can grow cold by ceasing to do what keeps us passionate and committed to our Lord. We grow cold by seeking and satisfying our own selfish desires. We grow lukewarm by denying and not accepting how indifferent and apathetic we may have become and by setting our own standards of good and holy conduct.

To do the things you did at first, start by seeking where the fire is burning. Look for believers on fire for the Lord and follow them. They will certainly help you do the things you did at first. 

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