In the book of Revelation, Christ gave the church in Ephesus some glittering compliments. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary (Rev. 2:2-3).”

The church folks in Ephesus were busy working hard in ministry, seeking truth and persevering under intense pressure. But while they were busy doing everything right, Christ had this to say; “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love (vs. 4).”

For all of us in ministry (and that should be all of us) this should be a warning. Eric Geiger said, “If you rejoice more in what God does through you than what God has done for you then ministry has become your god.”

The thing is, losing our first love can sneak up on us with such stealth that we might not even notice it. Periodically, we need to give our hearts an honest and prayerful check-up. Have we become so busy ministering morning till night that we don’t even have time for a quiet time? Is what we are doing for God feeling like a chore, rather than a delight? If so, we need to take a time-out and spend it being close to Jesus, rekindling our first love.

Our ministry is essential, but we should never be so busy serving that we lose touch with the One we are serving.

(For those who have missed any of the previous lessons, you can go to https://comethirstyministry.com/blog/ and view all previous postings.)

Week Fifty

Day 1: Revelation 2 (Everyone)
Day 2: Revelation 3 (Everyone)
Day 3: Revelation 4 (Everyone)
Day 4: Revelation 6 (Everyone)
Day 5: Revelation 7 (Everyone)