December 3, 2023 - Revelation 2:1-7

There’s an important “pecking order,” here, that is important: The church at Ephesus receives the message, which is delivered by the angel, who speaks the words of “him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (2:1). That is, it is the Lord himself who speaks and, so, the people must pay attention. They hear what many, down through the centuries, might hear. The Lord commends them for their good things (patience, they refuse to endure false apostles, and they do not grow weary even under persecution). But while being faithful in these things, they have lost the love they once had, whether that be for God or for one another. We know how difficult it is to maintain the same high degree of love day after day, circumstance after circumstance, which is all the more reason to guard ourselves and to cultivate that love. How to do that? Stay in God’s Word, which tells us about the One who has loved us with so great a love. Hang around with others who genuinely love God, who regularly remind us of God’s goodness and who also show love toward us. There’s an old saying: “You are what you eat.” A variation might be: “You are what/who you surround yourself with.”

More love to Thee, O Christ,

More love to Thee!

Hear Thou the prayer I make

On bended knee;

This is my earnest plea:

More love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee! -- Elizabeth Prentiss (1856)