Daily Fountain 2017 - Where Is Your First Love?

Monday July 17

Bible Reading:     Rev. 2: 1 - 7

Topic:                  Where Is Your First Love?

Jesus' message to the Christians in Ephesus shows that God keeps details of our relationship with and service for Him.

God was pleased with their hard work and patience, their faith, their intolerance of sin, and for identifying and keeping away from those who claimed there were apostles but were not as well as their willingness to suffer for Christ.

Unfortunately, despite all their good works, they had left their first love.

They prioritized their work for God over their relationship with Him.

God calls us first into a relationship with Him, and so all we do for Him ought to flow from that relationship.

Unfortunately, we value what we do for God more than God Himself.

Jesus called the disciples that they might be with Him (Mark 3: 14), before He sent them out to preach, teach, heal and deliver oppressed people.

Just as with the Ephesian Christians, God will see a lot to commend about our work in Church, but it is likely, given the state of that Church that He would also rebuke us for neglecting our relationship with Him.

Today's devotional is a reminder that the depth of our personal relationship with God not our service is the highest expression of love for Him.

Prayer

Lord, please take me back to the old paths, I don't want to lose You, Amen.

Memory Verse             Rev. 2: 5

"Remember therefore from when thou are fallen and repent and do the first works; or else, I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent."

Source:     The Daily Fountain 2017
(The Daily Devotional Guide of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion)