OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY AUGUST 9TH, 2022.
THEME: LETTER TO THE EPHESUS CHURCH II.
MEMORISE: Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
READ: Revelation 2:4-7
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
MESSAGE
You wonder how Jesus would say that the Ephesus church had forgotten their first love after saying that He had seen their works, labour and patience (Revelation 2;4). This tells us clearly that all the labour that these people were putting into the work of God was not from their heart. It had all become routine and there was no longer a deep fellowship between them and the Holy spirit.
Many Christians today fall into this trap of the devil. When they are in prayer meeting, they can pray for two hours, but they can hardly pray for 5 minutes in their closets. When the church evangelism team goes out to evangelize, they are the first to arrive, but they have never opened their mouth to preach the gospel to their neighbors who is an unbeliever. Oh! Gone are those days when you would arrive in church only to be told by the pastor that you would be the one to preach that morning, days when every Christian was a soldier, ever ready for the use of his Master. These days, the Pastor has to pray hard, and give enough notice before he can ask a member to lend the church their car for an assignment. Sadly, the love of many has waxed cold. Is it your love for God that pushes you to the things you do for Him, or do you do them just as a normal duty you have in church? Are you still bubbling with that first love you had when you first gave your life to Christ or is your Christianity now a bunch of activities?
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation 2:5
At the beginning of the letter, Jesus said He has seen their works. In verse 5 above, He says they should return to their first works.
There is the work you do mechanically, without being driven by love for God and there is the work you as a result of your love for Him.. Jesus is telling you today to return to your first love, to do the first works that were driven by that love. It could be the same activity, but the works must now be backed by love.
REFLECTION
Ask yourself, "What drives me to do the work of God?"
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 6-9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: DEEPER DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS
1 Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Refrain
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher ev'ry day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy word.
2 Deeper, deeper! blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
3 Deeper, deeper! tho' it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
4 Deeper, higher, ev'ry day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Amen and Amen🙏🙌
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