Week 51 Day 2

November 15, 2022

Jesus' Message to the Church in Ephesus

Scripture: Revelation 2:1-7(NIV)

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right 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 hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Devotional

Some of the earliest people reached in Paul’s missionary journeys were people in what is today the nation of Turkey. The Seven Churches that Jesus addresses in the book of Revelation were in that region. There is much that we can learn from them today, if we have ears to hear.

The first message was to the church in Ephesus. Paul spent a significant amount of time in Ephesus, and later wrote to them the letter of Ephesians. Also, Paul sent Timothy to be the pastor of the Ephesian church, and wrote him instructions in the letters of 1 & 2 Timothy. Finally, John probably made his home in Ephesus until he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos where he penned Revelation. Ephesus garnered much attention from the early church leaders!

Yet, this did not keep them from error. In today’s reading, Jesus lauded the Ephesian church’s perseverance and protection of the faith. But He chastised them, saying, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” Around thirty-five years earlier, Paul had written to the them these encouraging words, “ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16). How sad that they had lost that first love.

They higher you go, the farther you have to fall. From the very beginning of Christianity, we see how easy it is for people to forget whose they are and who they are. Verse 5 serves as a warning to the Ephesian church, and to yours as well, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

Was there a time when you were more madly in love with God than you are today? Were you once more avid about your faith, more diligent about your service, more passionate about your brothers and sisters in Christ? Jesus’ words to us are a clarion call: “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

Poem

First

I remember my first little boyfriend
A curly headed child of six
Just like me
A kindergarten kind one
Who escorted me
In the May Day celebration
In little white jacket
Matching my flouncy blue dress
Bowing
Curtsying
Little crowns of flowers

I remember my first crush
A handsome eighth grade athlete
Unlike me
A mysterious broody type
Who didn’t know I existed
Walking the halls
Walking and waiting for just a glance
Begging for acknowledgment
“Hi.”
O, my!
Heart a-flutter for days

I remember my first date
A guy two years older
Unknown to me
A blind set up
Homemade dress
A day on a boat
A day spent in hiding
Way over my head
Aggressive
Paralyzing
“Never again! I hate boys!”

I remember my first true love
A handsome, romantic man
In love with me
The man of my dreams
Who proposed to me
Words of future hopes
Words written in love letters
One week, dreams smashed
Shocking
Sobbing
Heart ripped apart

I have now a faithful love
Husband of many years
Yoked with me
My life partner
Who has shared love with me
Through days of plenty
Through days of trial
A constant loyal man
Daily
Lovely
Grounded firmly in faith

I recall my first love
A Savior sung from child lips
Unlike me
Who holds me fast
And chases and waits
The creator of my being
The redeemer of my soul
The bearer of seven lampstands
Light
Shepherd
Lover of my soul