The First Love

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Rev. 2:4-5.

We can ask: “When does a person leave his first love?” The leader of the church in Ephesus had borne much for Jesus’ name’s sake and had not become weary. Jesus does not fault him for any of his works—they were all good. “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.” Rev. 2:2. In other words, he was an extraordinary servant in the church. All his good works had been done for Jesus’ name’s sake; but now he had begun to think not only of Jesus’ name; he began to think a bit about himself in his ministry for God. The “Inspector” on Patmos wanted to awaken him to this fact and to urge him to repent.

In a growing, thriving church there can be many people who make a good living, but perhaps there is a servant of the church there who has relatively few earthly possessions. That servant can easily begin to demand that the others do some­thing for him or support him in some way. The servant must then hold firmly to the words in Hebrews 13:5-6: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”

Anxiety and cares about temporal needs are a dangerous snare. Thoughts can easily arise like: “Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit?” or “I labored more abundantly than they all.” If we forget what Paul says right after that—“Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me,” we can easily come under the law and place demands on others. “Haven’t I helped you and served you all these years? You should come visit me; I’m the one who gave birth to you, and I’m the one who has given you good counsel.” When a person thinks like this, he is no longer living by grace. Then it is something “I” have accomplished, and it is apparent that I care about my own reputation. The leader of the church in Ephesus had begun to go astray on this point, and he needed to repent.

When we look at the leader of the church in Sardis, we see that Jesus also says to him, “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’” He was completely dead when it came to exalting Jesus’ name. He only thought of his own name in all that he did in the church. He receives the exhortation to repent and to strengthen the things that remained, which were ready to die.

“You have a few names, even in Sardis who have not de­filed their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” Rev. 3:4. Paul explains what these white garments are in Colossians 3:12: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, hu­mility, meekness, longsuffering.” In other words, the virtues are the garments of Jesus’ servants; virtues are the white gar­ments. We must see to it that we do not try to preserve our own name so that our garments are defiled by selfish ambi­tion. Envy is also close at hand when you begin to care about your own reputation.

The first works of the angel of the church in Ephesus may not have been done with the wisdom he had later in his life and ministry. But they were driven by a fervent love for Jesus in which everything was done for the sake of Jesus’ honor. That is why they were precious to God. A person can be in­strumental in big revivals and do great works for God, but what help is all that if Jesus ultimately has to say, “Depart from Me, you who practice unrighteousness”? We under­stand that the unrighteousness they practiced was that they cared for their own reputation. They were therefore dead to the Master’s voice, and Jesus no longer knew them.

When brothers who serve and excel in wisdom and under­standing fall away from the first love, so that people recognize that they care more for their own name than for the Name they should be serving, this causes great disappointment. People sense the unrighteousness, and then love grows cold among them too. Only those who endure to the end will be saved. When my love grows cold because of others’ sins, it proves that my love was only human. If I remain in the first love, I possess divine love, and I can be like God, who lets His sun shine on the evil and the good. Such people continue to shine, give warmth and thrive. It is therefore vitally important that all of us are preserved in this first, burning love for Jesus. If we abide in love, we abide in God, and no evil can touch us. From there we cannot fall into the snare of the devil or be­come occupied with seeking honor. There we constantly push ahead into more light and warmth. Those who are of God do not defile their garments—they remain in this first divine love.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 20-21. Here the apostle guarantees that those who build themselves up in their most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit will endure to the end, experience salvation in Jesus Christ and be along in the rapture.

“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’” John 21:15-17.

As a shepherd I must not have the kind of love that pre­vents me from speaking the truth to those whom I serve. Per­haps you see that things are not going so well with them, but you “love” them so much and have so many human bonds binding you together that it is difficult to loose these bonds. In such a situation you know that it will bring pain and suffering to you and to those you should be helping, if you want to knit them to God. Here we must speak the truth in love. We must commit them to God and have enough care for them that we expose their humanness, show them what is right and what God is working, even if it is painful and even if they become our enemies. When a shepherd serves in this way, he earns respect and usually wins them for the kingdom of heaven.

In this area we must also build upon what we have under­stood from the beginning. Johan O. Smith writes the follow­ing in one of his letters to his brother Aksel, “It has always been a joy for me to hear from you, and it will continue to be a joy in the future. But that joy is not greater than the truth it­self; so for the sake of the truth, I have been willing to sacrifice it. Because the truth of Christ has become so precious to me, every brother and sister who is of the truth is also very pre­cious. If my humility can promote fellowship in Christ Jesus, then I will joyfully humble myself, with all my heart, even in those areas where I have battled in the zeal of Christ for the furtherance of the truth.”

Our love for Jesus, who is the Truth, must always be greater than our love for ourselves and for the people we serve. If not, such a servant will die in the same way as the angel of the church in Sardis. I have experienced that broth­ers with a glorious ministry have given up their shepherd’s ministry because of bonds to a fleshly brother. What a shame and reproach will follow such people throughout all eternity!

When we are in this first love, we can look into the perfect law of liberty, and everyone who does that will be blessed in what he does. “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25.

These people love what they do. They are thankful and do not become forgetful hearers. There are many good moth­ers and fathers, but we can see that not all of them are blessed in what they do. They do what they do more out of duty and the law than out of a love for their task. When a person looks into the perfect law of liberty, he is anointed with the Holy Spirit. The first fruit of the Spirit is joy—a person is then able to rejoice in his circumstances. When God gives him more light, he rejoices over the prepared works he sees—the works God has prepared for him to walk in. Through these works, he is formed and transformed and becomes to the praise of His glory. This is a work of grace.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves . . . .” Eph. 2:8. When we realize that it is by grace, we become thankful, and we admire what God can do in a miserable wretch. Here we meet the greatest of all miracles: We can be transformed—and conformed to the im­age of His Son. All of this takes place in the hearts of those who stand firm in their first love and devotion to the Bride­groom of their soul!