The Lord has put the Church at Ephesus on my heart the last two weeks. I have been reading Acts 19, the book of Ephesians and today I read Revelation 2. The specific reason for this lingering around this city will be spoken about when the time is right and the platform is ready, but even though I have an assignment with that church at Ephesus, what I read today caused me to pause, reflect and remind each us what God wants from us.

I was speaking to a friend this afternoon and I told him, you showed me who you are, I cannot speak to the new “outfits” you put on, I must constantly speak to who you showed me you are. I pulled on his calling, spoke to his identity and encouraged him to remember who he showed me he is. This is what the Lord does to us, He knows us, He made us, He put giftings, callings and anointings in us. He must speak to who He knows we are, no matter how many times we get dressed up in a new “outfit” and want HIm to acknowledge it, applaud it or affirm it. He loves us to much to celebrate the temporary, when He knows our eternal calling and destiny.

Revelation 2:4 says, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first.” John told the church at Ephesus the Lord sees how far they have fallen from their first love. Do you remember when you first fell in love with Jesus, when you first got saved, when you first got healed, when you first got delivered from sin? I do, it was January 30, 1989 in Plymouth, MN at Vision of Glory Lutheran Church. I remember how I loved to worship with all my heart, give as much as I could and I told everyone about Jesus. We even had a revival at the car wash I worked at, for the whole staff got saved and joined my youth group. First love activity.

John doesn’t just tell us to see how far we have fallen, he exhorts us to remember who we used to be when we were first in love and then to DO the deeds we did back then. Repentance is a returning to what we used to do before we fell from our first love. Church, it is time to remember from where we have fallen and to return to our first love by doing what we used to do. I need to evangelize more, that is what I did then but do not do as much now. What do you need to do, that you did when you first fell in love with Jesus? It’s time to return to your first love!