Revelation 2:2-3 NASB95
‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; [3] and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
This is what the Lord had to say about the church in Ephesus. It sounds like a wonderful church doing all the things that a good church should be doing. What pastor wouldn’t love to have a congregation of people like this? The only problem is the Lord had something else to say about the church in Ephesus, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. [5] Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first…” Revelation 2:4-5.
God is looking for worshipers, not workers. Of course, there is work to be done, but work in the kingdom must flow from a lovesick heart for the king. A “first love” servant serves because of delight and not because of duty. The bridegroom Christ and His bride, the Church, is the romance of the ages. Notice that Jesus told the Christians in Ephesus to “remember from where you have fallen.” Do you remember when your heart burned within you? Do remember the passion, extravagance, and sheer joy of first love?
Just because the term “first” love is used doesn’t mean it’s just the love you experience for Christ when you first start walking with Him. It’s not about chronology. It’s a kind of love that you experience the first time you fall head over heels into it, but it should never diminish in your walk with the Lord. Christian maturity shouldn’t be equated with a dutifully warm yet passionless heart towards Jesus. Jesus is admonishing the Christians in Ephesus to awaken their first love experience. Remember, Jesus has “first love” for us, and it never wanes, so why would Be content with anything less from us. Jesus tells them to do the deeds they did at first. In the natural, do you remember your “first love deeds” when you fell in love with the love of your life? You spent every waking moment you possibly could with that person, and the more time you spent with them, the more ravished your heart became. I would encourage you, therefore, to press in and behold His face, listening to His voice until the lion’s roar awakens first love in your heart. Don’t just settle for your spiritual routine. He promised that if you seek Him, He will let you find Him. Apprehend that for which you have been apprehended. When a lion lets you catch Him, I promise you, you’ll never be the same.