Revelation 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil"...... 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
This passage of scripture teaches and cautions us to remember the first love which we had when Christ delivered us from spiritual bondage, the zeal, the energy with which we started off on the Christian journey. It cautions us to remember the joy in service that was our experience in the earlier days of our conversion, how we were willing and energized to give out tracts, to knock on doors and hearts, with a burning desire to tell others of God's saving grace, and to speak of what He had done for us personally. The passage calls on us to remember the former excitement with which we attended church and the prayer meeting, the brotherly love and fellowship which formed the cornerstones of our Christian experience in the early days. Remember, remember, remember!
It's similar to the relationship between a husband and wife, which starts out full of excitement, zeal, and the many careful attentions and considerations that usually characterize the earlier years of dating, when the heart would flutter at the sound of the others' voice, and when one would sit at the phone in eager anticipation of that call which seemed like heaven on earth to them. Remember? But after a while, the cares of life start to take their toll, and the busy days with their burden of toil and care, and the responsibility of raising the children starts to eat away gradually at the former intimacy, until they find themselves living together, but more and more separated in heart and mind. Remember?
This is very similar to what Christ is saying to us as Christians, for in many cases there has been a steady decline of energy, zeal, and joy in serving The Lord, and question is, why is this the case with so many of us, and how can the situation be remedied? In answering this question, we should remember that seeking after God does not come naturally either to the born-again Christian, or to the abandoned sinner, and therefore constant and well-directed effort must be exerted each and every day, until it becomes second nature, and until we cannot do without it. This truth about the natural man is written in the scriptures so that we may have a correct understanding of who we, and of our utter inability, in and of ourselves, to love and serve God naturally. Let's read:
Psalm 14:2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
It is a delusion for us to think that serving God will come naturally, without any effort on our part, because, even though we are saved by God's grace through faith, yet we still must battle the old nature that is averse to anything that is good and upright, hence the reason why Christ says to us, if any man will follow Him, he must take up his cross daily to continue doing so.
In our day we are more prone to forget our first love, because the world is now saturated with many distractions which draw our focus away from Christ, and therefore a deliberate effort on an ongoing basis must be exerted by the Christian, in order that we do not experience spiritual lethargy, and diminishing zeal and joy in the service and experiences of God.
A portion of each day should be set aside as holy time for communion with God, and this time should never be left up to chance, or to feelings, for if our relationship with God is approached in this way, we will be headed for a roller coaster experience, in which great fluctuation and inconsistencies will characterize our lives. And further more, this type of relationship is not acceptable to God, for it makes Him subjective in our thoughts, whereas He should be the object of our highest desires, hopes and dreams. Now, since it is impossible for us on our own, to conjure up this kind of zeal and love for God, we should ask Him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, by implanting His Spirit within us to will and to do His good pleasure. When this is accomplished in our lives, our relationship with God will level off, and not be like the shifting sands of the sea, or like the dreaded lukewarm condition mentioned in Revelation, that should be avoided at all costs.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to seek God first for everything, and if we do, we will soon find that an entirely new day will dawn in our Christian experience, and God will be to us as a dear Friend and Father, as opposed to being a distant Ruler, of whom we know very little. Let's read:
Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!