We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
In the Book of Revelation Jesus evaluated the different churches and this is what He said about the Church at Ephesus:
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. (Revelation 2:2-5)
I think it is very easy to get burned out, worn out, and have a hardened heart. Let’s face it, working with people in any capacity can be very challenging.
We can gather from the scripture in Revelation that loving the people is pretty important to Jesus and that does not just include the ones you agree with. It includes the unlovely, the unsaved, and even the ones of a different colors, cultures, and religions.
So, let’s look at a few scriptures and take a personal heart check-up:
Jesus said His disciples would be known by their love for each other (John 13:35).
The Apostle Paul said there were three foundational truths and they were faith, hope, and love and the greatest of these was love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
My prayer today, “Today we choose to walk in love. We do not want our candlestick to be removed. God teach us to love the way you want us to love. You said that we would be known by our love for one another. Your Word says that it is the goodness of God that leads man to repentance and your love is the key to displaying that goodness. Stir up that love on the inside of us today. We are
returning to you, our first love. In Jesus’ name.
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