I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance … Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. … He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
(Revelation 2:2, 4-5, 7)
The season of Lent is a time when Christians refocus on the life and sacrifice of Jesus through prayer, repentance and fasting. We repent from sinful habits that have built up in our lives over the past year and also fast (or “give up”) the pleasures of this world in an attempt to hunger more after God.
In Revelation 2, Jesus wants the members of a very good church in Ephesus to do the same thing. Jesus wants them to stop rushing to get so much done for Him and start refocusing on their “first love” for Him. He wants Christians to repent of sharing His name but not sharing time with Him.
Jesus wants the same for you and me. Each day our first love for Him can be rushed past and overwhelmed by all of the “hard work” and “perseverance” Revelation 2 talks about. As a result, we can be committed and sincere in our faith but empty and disconnected from His love and joy. That is why we need to start each day focusing on His presence and direction, not the stress and rush of daily demands.
Jesus calls both the early Ephesian church and us today to refocus on our first love by doing “the things you did at first.” It’s that simple! Jesus’ strategy is this: make a decision to do the things you would do when you first fall in love! If you do, Jesus promises a life from the Spirit that only comes from Heaven itself.
On the first Sunday of this Lenten season (March 9th), Cornerstone will be seeking to return to our “first love” of Jesus by committing to 5 weeks of “Every Day Begins With Jesus”. We will “give up” the first 20 minutes of each day to focus on Jesus. This five week devotional calls you to make Jesus the center of your day by making Him the first focus of your morning. See the next few pages for all the details and how to use this five week commitment to bring you, your family and your friends closer to Jesus.
Pastor Shawn