READ: Revelation 2:1-5
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write… I know thy works, and thy labour… Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” – Revelation 2:1-2,4
God sent a message to the Ephesian church. They had great works! They had labour! They had patience! They could not bear evil people! They were not deceived by people who pretended to be apostles but who were rather liars. They laboured but did not faint!
But God wanted a little bit more from the Ephesians. He wanted a bit of first love. What is first love? First love is different from ordinary love. It is the love of young lovers who are madly in love with each other.
First love is described in Jeremiah 2:2. God was speaking to His bride and saying, “I remember the love of thine espousals. You used to chase Me. You used to look for Me. You used to call Me. You went after Me. You hunted for Me. You did not just sit there and wait. You did not just say ‘Yes’ if I called. You came looking for Me.”
Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the LOVE OF THINE ESPOUSALS, when THOU WENTEST AFTER ME in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Jeremiah 2:2
It is amazing that God was not satisfied with the Ephesian Christians. These were Christians with great works, great labour and great patience. These were righteous people who could not stand evil at all. Yet, God required from them a little bit more: first love!