Boy, did these scriptures speak to me today!
I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; And you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. - Revelation 2:2-5
Christ in Revelation talks to the churches and here, while He commends the church at Ephesus for their works against the evil and deceits (which sounds so very familiar to me), He admonishes it for forgetting its first love. And that is HIM! And His salvation! And remembering where we would be without Him! Just as easily lost in the deception, and lost in an eternal death! "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Very literally, except for God's gracious gift of salvation and redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, there I would be! There we would all be! And Jesus wants us to remember that!
The works against evil are important and commendable, but let us not forget WHY we work against evil! It's really all about salvation in Christ! That's the most important thing! That is the only thing! A world lost in sin is lost to Christ and to eternal life. A world lost in sin sins against God! A country based on wicked laws oppress the people and cause them to sin against God!
Think about the laws that allow the murder of unborn babies for the convenience of the mother, or laws that elevate homosexual relationships to God-ordained marriage, or those that remove God from the public square. While some people may have no regard for their Almighty Creator God and wish to purposely blaspheme Him, many people may get lost in a sinful lifestyle being told all the while, they are perfectly right in doing what they do. Why, there are liberal churches that seek to change the word of God! While people are perfectly able to sin on their own because of their own selfish lusts, you can bet that Satan is at the forefront of any laws or ways of thinking that will keep people from the saving grace of Christ! And THAT is the reason we fight against immoral laws!
That is the main reason. A very important one, indeed! It is the great commission of Jesus Christ to bring people to the truth of His salvation. But we must remember (I must remember!) our first love! We can get lost in our work and the work (even the most unselfish work) can become our focus rather than our Savior. Very specifically, from the scriptures above, we can become focused on the work of exposing evil and the lies, and forget our first love. Let us remember why we do what we do and let us remember our first love, our Lord Jesus Christ.
O Lord, bring us back to our first love! Let us remember where we came from and where we would be without you! Let us repent and return to the first and foremost works of love and sharing Your gospel. Let us walk in love with You, in prayer and communion in Your Word. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment