“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance.” Revelation 2:2
The Bible tells us that all scripture has been breathed out by God and is for our instruction, and that includes the book of Revelation. God gave it to us to learn from it. While it is a book full of symbolism and certain mysteries, there is still much that we can understand and apply to our lives. Chapters two and three were written to seven major churches of that time, and just as we learn how to live for God by reading Paul’s letters to the churches he founded, visited and knew of, so we can learn much from John’s letters to the seven churches recorded in Revelation. These were letters from Jesus that John recorded and sent out. They were not John’s thoughts or advice, but these letters were what Jesus was saying to each individual church, and to us today.
The first thing Jesus says to each church is “I know you”. What a wonderful yet fearsome thing! Jesus knows each one of us; not just our name, or the place where we live, or the church we attend. He knows every bit of us; the good, the bad and the ugly. He knows us from the inside out. Our deepest secrets are clearly visible to Him. Our thoughts and intentions cannot be hidden from His penetrating and holy gaze.
To the church in Ephesus Jesus said that He knew all the hard work they had done for Him in reaching the pagan culture around them. He knew how they persevered in their faith despite much opposition and how they checked out any teachers who came to them, to be sure they were teaching good sound doctrine. To all those looking at this church, they seemed to have got it right. Yet Jesus said that there was a big problem – they did not love Him the way they used to love Him.
I know when I first came to know the Lord, I just loved being in His presence. I devoured the Bible and loved being in church and meeting with God’s people. I was at every Bible study and bombarded the pastor, elders and deacons with questions about Christian living. The church I attended had full nights of prayer and regular weeks of prayer and fasting. It was a joy to be at church 4-5 times a week. I was so conscious of sinful thoughts and attitudes and was careful about what I did and where I went as I didn’t want to lose this knew found peace, joy and sensitivity to God.
That was almost 40 years ago and sad to say my love at times is not the way it should be. Church can often be just a routine thing that we do on a Sunday. Often, I read and pray with little enthusiasm and find my mind wandering to other things rather than the God I say I’m worshipping. My work life is busy, and my family and social life is busy, and often it is a hurried bible reading in the morning and a quick prayer time at night that is given to the one who loves me more than family or friends ever could. The one who died in my place, taking all the punishment that I deserve, is often the one who gets the little scraps of time I have left over in my busy schedule.
Jesus sees me. He knows how devoted to Him I used to be, and as He said to the church at Ephesus, so He says to me and to all His other busy, busy children: “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore…[and]…repent.”
If you are like me, caught up in the business of life, with little time to really spend worshipping God, repent. Remember those days when being in His Present Presence was your heart’s desire. Rekindle and renew the fervent love you once had for Him, so there may be nothing that He has against you.
