to the churches To him who overcome, I Will grant to
eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God'"
Revelation 2 : 7
Don't sit back now and make a detached analysis of Christ's commendations and condemnation to the Ephesians. Maybe He's speaking to you too. Are you listening open? Or are you just hurrying through the motion of completing another Bible study so you won't be embarrassed if asked anything when the group meets?
Perhaps Jesus wants to commend you about your perseverance. Or maybe He has been trying to get your attention so that He can ask you one simple question:
"Do you love Me?"
You knew we were going to ask this, didn't you? Have you left your first love? Does Christ's portrait of the Ephesian church look easily familiar: diligently, courageous, zealous for the truth yet loveless? It's so easy to slip into sincere service that edges Christ out of our hearts, isn't it? To find ourselves embracing a Christian "lifestyle" but keeping Christ at an arm's distance. After living like this for a while, we become distracted. Estranged, alienated from the One who is Love (1John 4:8). And our works, which once reflected our love of Jesus, swing the spotlight to ourselves. We become more interested in people seeing our goodness, our being right. Pretty soon contempt replaces compassion, harshness supplants humility, self- centeredness suffuses service. How far we have fallen indeed.
Are we beyond hope? Of course not or else Jesus wouldn't have confronted the Ephesian church and counseled them to repent. He wouldn't have promised a blessing for those who overcame their lovelessness if overcoming wasn't possible. So what do we need to do?
To begin with, we need to honestly evaluate our condition. Take this week, which is a gift from God to you, and reflect on what choices, your action? What is under the surface of your life,deep in your heart? Come back to these linked during the next seven days to record what you find.
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