These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardship for my name and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
Have You Forsaken Your First Love?
by Margaret Silvester
Revelation 2:1-3, NIV
The above words are contained in a message from the risen Christ to an outwardly thriving church. They were written by the Apostle John who had been connected with the church at Ephesus before he was taken prisoner for his faith, and isolated on the island of Patmos. The message is directly from the heart of a Saviour who is intimately concerned for the people in the congregation and He deeply cares for them. They obviously feel that they’re doing well but have forgotten that there is something far more important than good works.
In our lives, as in theirs, hard work and perseverance are to be commended. The discernment to recognise falsehood and false teaching keeps us from going into error. Enduring hardships for the name of Jesus without growing weary is a Christian virtue, and yet the Lord Jesus Himself had one thing against them, and could it also be against us? It’s very simple and very direct. “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
To forsake your first love for Jesus means to grow cold in heart, to sit back and have the sense that you’ve made it. This is not a sudden move, but one of gradually becoming increasingly indifferent. Without the fire of love for the One who gave His life for us we are nothing. ‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’ (1 Corinthians 13:1). There are, of course, many reasons why we may forsake our first love. I suggest the following are some of the most challenging ones.
Doublemindedness: ‘Teach me your way O Lord that I may rely on your faithfulness. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name’ (Psalm 86:11).
Disloyalty: ‘Your loyalty is divided between God and the world’ (James 4:7-8, NLB).
Pleasing people: ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of God. Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of Christ’ (Galatians 1:10).
Idolatry: Having things, people, ambitions, selfish desires that take first place.
Individualism: To get back to that place of dynamic love for Jesus we often need a new revelation of His dying love for us and a softened heart to receive it.
Margaret Silvester had a career as a teacher prior to being called into full time Christian Ministry with her husband, David, in 1986. They were involved in establishing a Healing Ministry in the local church and Margaret has a passion to see lost and wounded people found and restored. She and her husband joined the Ellel Ministries teaching and ministry team in 2000 after a clear call from God. Margaret`s book "Stepping Stones to the Father Heart of God" has recently been published.
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