Left

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”  Revelation 2:4

Left – How many times have we left behind something that we thought was a stepping-stone along the way only to discover that it was the essential foundation of everything else?  If this weren’t so true, we would never have sayings about not knowing what we had until we have lost it.  The most telling example is that “first-love” relationship, the one that changed everything about your world, the one that suddenly made you feel alive, the one you swore you could never live without.  Then, somewhere along the way, other things seemed to become so much more important.  The first-love was taken for granted, neglected, assumed to be intact.  Until one day you turned around to discover that the core of your life was gone, not torn away but simply eroded from lack of attention.

Jesus says that the church at Ephesus has done everything it should have done except this one thing:  it let the “good” push out the “best”.  It let all of its spiritual efforts replace the only thing that really matters:  the first-love passion and devotion to Him.

Saint John uses the Greek word aphiemi.  It means, “to send away” or “to let go”.  The word does not describe accidental action.  It implies deliberately sending off, purposely letting go.  Neglect, inattention and disinterest are as much choices as devotion and obedience.  There are no excuses. 

To understand the gravity of this word, consider the fact that it is also used by Jesus to describe forgiving sin, pardoning our inequities and removing the penalty.  God lets go and sends away the consequences of our rebellion against Him.  It is deliberate, decisive action.  God never leaves His first love.  But we are certainly inclined to do so, especially when we focus our spiritual efforts on ends instead of the means.  We can accomplish much, claiming it is in His name.  But unless He is the originator, motivator and glorifier, it will just be one more human failure no matter how “good” it seems.

First-love, that’s the key.  Are your actions aligned with the “first-love” or are they just spinning off under their own power?