*We made it! Last week of the year; Last book of the
Bible! If you have anything you
would like to share about what you’ve experienced throughout the year please email
me at ejmushlock@gmail.com*
Revelation 1-4
*Click here to read this passage:
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and
blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because
the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
I think there are many Christians who avoid the book of Revelation
… maybe because it is hard to understand or maybe because it is all about the
end of the world and they don’t want to know or think about that. Even for myself, if I’m not reading
through the whole Bible, I don’t necessarily think to spend time in the book of
Revelation. This is the only book
in the Bible that says up front – Read this.
Take it to heart, and you’ll be blessed.
Now, I do want to say that since we’re reading through Revelation
in only 5 days, this is obviously not going to be an in-depth study of this book. As I’ve mentioned throughout the year
for any book of the Bible, as we read it I will share my personal reflections
of what I hear God speaking to me through His word each day.
Today there were a few things that stood out to me within the
letters to the churches, but the main one is the one that feels like a punch in
the gut – to the church in Ephesus.
Jesus first tells of good things they have been doing like persevering,
enduring hardships, not tolerating wickedness, and hating the things that God
hates, but then comes the hard part to hear: “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first
love.” As Chuck Missler puts it in
his book Learn the Bible in 24 Hours,
“They got so busy doing the work of the Kingdom that they didn’t have time for
the King!”
Jesus tells them to remember, to repent, and to do the things they
did at first. We always need to
remember what He’s done for us and why we do what we do, and we need to spend
time with Him – our first love. It
is like a marriage. Any husband and
wife can easily get caught up in the daily chores of life and neglect their
love for one another. You have to
spend time together. You have to
reminisce about when you first met, when you first started dating, and remember
why you’re so in love. You have to
do things like you did at the beginning such as going on dates, holding hands,
and taking time to look in each others’ eyes, to listen, and to say I love
you. This keeps a marriage strong,
and this is the same with our relationship with Jesus.
We’re supposed to be walking with Jesus. Throughout the whole Bible it is so clear how God desires to
have a personal relationship with us.
It is great to serve Him and be active in the work for His Kingdom, but
along the way we can’t forget our first love.
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