Where Did Our Love Go?
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 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. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:1-7)
Today’s Morsel: If you were asked to rate your love for God on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being highest, what would be your answer? “Ooh, baby, baby Where did our love go? Ooh, don't you want me? Don't you want me no more? Ooh, baby, baby, baby where did our love go? And all of your promises of a love forever more.” If you are a baby boomer like me, or you grew up in the 60’s, then you probably heard this song sung by the pop group, Diana Ross and the Supremes, entitled, “Where Did Our Love Go.” Why is it that many seem to lose their love for God and others even though they promised that they would always love Him? Jesus informs the church at Ephesus that for all the good things which they were doing, they had now omitted the most important. They had left their first love. What was their first love? According to the apostle Paul, it was their "… faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints” (Ephesians 1:15) Where did their love go? They started to separate themselves from the other believers. This is why, I believe, that when we read Paul’s letters to this church, he addresses oneness and the unity of the body. And that Christ and God are one, and thus that His church must be one. Anytime we start feeling as though we don’t need others and the church, we break the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, which will cause us to lose our faith in Jesus and love for the saints. And so, Paul tells them: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6) It’s easy to leave your first love if you do not stive to maintain unity in the body.
Sing: Let me walk blessed Lord, in the way Thou hast gone, leading straight to the land above. Giving cheer everywhere, to the sad and the lone, fill my way everyday with love.
Fill my way everyday with love, as I walk with the heavenly Dove; let me go all the while with a song and a smile, fill my way everyday with love.
Thought For Today: “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
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