Jump Start # 582

Revelation 2:5 “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”

In this series of Jump Starts, we are looking at the pleas of the Lord to the seven churches. In identifying problems, the Lord offers solutions. It’s those solutions, or calls to repentance that we are focusing our attention on. Earlier Jump Starts, around # 290s, gave some overviews and thoughts about each of these seven churches. Those can be accessed from Jumpstartsdaily.com

Ephesus had left her first love. The church was still going onward. It was still exposing false teachers, holding worship and doing all the signs of an active church, but something was amiss under the hood. Internally, duty had replaced devotion. Have to had replaced want to. It’s a sad state when love is gone. That is true with a hobby, a marriage, or a church. Often, when love is lost, a person moves on. When golf is no longer any fun, the clubs gather dust in the garage. When love is gone in a marriage, a couple act more like roommates sharing an apartment than two who are supposed to be one. Often, one starts thinking about leaving. When a church forgets its love for Christ, sour attitudes start surfacing, things tend to bother people more, and folks start thinking more like the world than Jesus. It’s a terrible state to lose that love.

Can you ever fall back in love again? Many would say “No.” That’s why they give up on the hobby, the marriage, and the church. Jesus says otherwise. He doesn’t think it’s over. He tells Ephesus three key principles.

1. Remember. We often forget. We often only see things the way they are now. We forget how excited we were at first. We forget how great things were. This is true of the marriage that has lost it’s love. Remember dating? Remember planning the wedding? Remember the first home? Fixing it up. Most of us started out poor. Many of us struggled, but we were happy. We were in love. Remember? Remember what it was like to be a Christian? Remember how great it was to sing hymns? Remember going to people’s homes for singings, studies, and get togethers? It was amazing. Remember going to Gospel meetings? Every night. Tired as you were, it was great. What happened? The church still sings those same hymns. The church still has gospel meetings. What happened is that the newness has worn off. The old river of life keeps rolling along. Problems, kids, stress, work, bills have squeezed their way into our hearts and in the process, Jesus has been pushed out. Remember? That’s one of the keys. It’s not that you never had it, so you have to make believe or dream. You’ve been there. You were in love—in your marriage and with the Lord.

2. Repeat. Jesus said, do the deeds you did at first. It worked before, do it again. This is true in marriage and this is true with the Lord. I use this passage with couples who have forgotten. Remember, guys, opening the car door for your lady? Been a while since we’ve done that. Often we are sitting in the car waiting on them and then when they get in the car, we declare, “What took you so long?” One time, the wait was worth it. Remember, writing little notes and leaving them for the other to see? Remember, holding hands? Remember, seeing each other and smiling? Remember? How about with Jesus? Remember getting to the church building early? Remember sitting up close? Remember writing down nearly every word the preacher said? Remember going to a Bible Class like it was a college class? Sitting up front? Notebook opened. Studied ahead of time. Excited. Engaged. In tuned. Remember? Remember asking the preacher questions? Remember looking for books that would help you grow? Remember listening to tapes or cd’s of sermons in the car as we drove to work? We did all those things. We did them at first. Then we quit. The cd of sermons was replaced with the cd of the Eagles. We don’t have any questions any more and that is partly because we have lost the awe of God and the mystery of the spiritual things. Do the deeds you did at first. It works in marriage and it works with God.

3. Repent. Change. Don’t keep going the way you are headed. The direction you are on has taken your heart away from God. The more you stay on this course, the more you will become distant to God. Turn it around. Turn back and do the things you did at first. This is not something that someone can do for you, it’s what you must do yourself. You must turn your heart back to God. He deserves better from you and you are capable of more.

Three simple words: Remember, Repeat, Repent.  This will get the engines started again and turn a sour marriage around, it will bring life to a dead relationship with the Lord. These thoughts remind us that God wasn’t finished with the Ephesians. He hadn’t given up on them. He wanted them to love Him. The same goes for us. He’s not done with you and He wants you to have a vibrant relationship with Him. It can be done.

People don’t continue very long in a loveless relationship. Either they get the love back or they give up and move on. When we talk about the Lord, where are we going to move on to? There is no one else. There is no where else.

We sing, “O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus.” Give that some thought. Try singing that song today. Try finding your way back to the Lord. He’s looking for you.

Roger