Revelation 2:1-7,12-17 — Do these symptoms of spiritual decline match your spiritual symptoms?
I am blessed to be reminded of a few basic things in my reading of this passage again:
- I need not succumb to these symptoms of spiritual decline.
- God still claimed these churches as His own, even in their state at the time of receiving God’s messages. That didn’t make their various states safe. Neither does it mean that if my church can achieve to their good, God can live with their bad among us. Theirs were perilous states!
- God notices everything — both bad and good. He doesn’t become so incensed at and offended by the wrong that He misses or disregards the right.
- The good does not counterbalance or make up for the bad. No matter how much right I do or how much holiness I manifest, it does not make amends for my wrong. I must repent of my sin and return to Christlikeness in that area of failure.
- God reaches out to His people who slip or wander. His loving faithfulness and redemptive grace will not leave me alone. It behooves me to heed the concerns and corrections of those whom He sends to me with His message. I must not respond with a counterattack as though that will somehow lessen my guilt and my need for repentance. That is a contemptible, unrighteous, self-justifying, damnable response for it takes the place of and reveals a lack of godly sorrow and repentance.
- My first love for God is something to guard and cultivate. It is something to grow in, but never outgrow. It is something to build on, not walk away from. It is something to cherish, not replace and abandon.
- The solution to having left my first love is not to do more good, to somehow be more faithful otherwise. The solution spelled out by the Lover of my soul is a repentant return. Otherwise, I lose my place with Him and find myself on the wrong side of universal conflict…no matter how nicely my deeds seem to burnish my resum‚.
- God also clearly spells out the result of overcoming all that detracts from my first love:
- “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
- “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it” (Revelation 2:17).
I sit here and still remember how I sat there in stunned astonishment…even initial dismissiveness. A brother whom I held in high regard in the assembled group stood with a simple, heartfelt message: The group had left its first love. What?! I was part of the group! That meant his concern encompassed me. What did he see in my life that kept him from citing me as an exception to the charge?
What evidences can you cite of having retained your first love and having avoided the symptoms of spiritual decline?
Can anyone cite evidences of your having left your first love?
Do you “hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”?
He knows! Even as He knows the symptoms of spiritual decline
The Lord Jesus knows! When no one else notices, He knows. When others notice, but don’t appreciate, He knows. When our motives are impugned, He knows. When the cost is prohibitive, He knows. When we have nothing left for ourselves, He knows. The human spirit longs for recognition and appreciation, and yet the Scripture admonishes us not to advertise our good deeds! What a potential for inner turmoil and conflict. At these times in particular, the words of Jesus Christ flow as an especially encouraging balm, “I know thy works.”
Why do you do the good things you do? Simple question? I doubt it. Most of us have such a conniving heart, and all of us have such a subtle enemy. We may do good hoping (expecting?) for reciprocation. We may do good anticipating gratitude or even reward. We may do good with an enhancement of our reputation in view. We may do good to soothe our conscience and balance our guilt over some failure. What may even do good as a means of increasing our chances of landing a certain job or being elected to a certain office. May we be on our guard against all these! I want the Lord to so work His ways into me that I do good for two very uncomplicated reasons: I want to serve Him and I want to bless others. I want to be satisfied with His “I know thy works.”
The Lord also knows where we live. He knows how strong the enemy is in our age. He knows all about the proliferation of evil and temptation around us. And still He expects that we be…
Read the rest here: Messages to Smyrna and Pergamos
