Day 18: Passionate Church

Daily Devotional

Revelation 2:4-5

4 “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”

Today’s Scripture comes from Jesus’ message to the Church of Ephesus where He confronts the Ephesians for abandoning their first love. When it came to the Ephesians, Jesus commended them for being a church who persevered through persecution and worked hard to defend the truth of God’s Word. However, there was still a glaring problem. Notice, Jesus didn’t say they have lost their love for Jesus, but rather they have left their first love. For Jesus, there is a big difference between losing and leaving their first love because you can lose something by accident, but leaving something is a conscious choice and action you make. At the same time, when you lose something it means you don’t know where to look for it again, but when you leave something you know exactly where you last left it. The Ephesians had great zeal for the Word and work of God, but Jesus says they had lost their love for Jesus. In other words, the Ephesians worked hard because it was the right thing to do, but the motivation came from a cold and heartless love, rather than their once passionate and fiery love for Jesus. This is why Jesus counsels the Ephesians to do three things. First, He tells them to remember the first love they had for Him. Second, repent and go back to the love that was brought to life by the Gospel message they so passionately embraced. Third, to take action and do the works they did when they first fell in love with Jesus.

Weekly Application

Being part of a passionate church is to have a burning desire to live for Christ and to seek His kingdom first. You can do this by taking intentional steps to prioritize your relationship with Jesus. God desires to kindle your heart and renew your mind so begin each day by asking God to give you a hunger for His Word and a zeal for prayer. As you go through the day, keep your eyes fixed on Christ by being intentional about everything that you do. There may be areas of your life that need to be repurposed to reflect the love and glory of our Lord Jesus. Walking with God in this way will prevent you from becoming lukewarm in your devotion and it will cultivate a passion for Christ that will transform your heart and mind.