“To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the following:
“This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has a firm grasp on the seven stars in his right hand—the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands: ‘I know your works as well as your labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have even put to the test those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false. I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love! Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—that is, if you do not repent. But you do have this going for you: You hate what the Nicolaitans practice—practices I also hate. The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:1-7
New English Translation
Wow, this section to the church in Ephesus starts off seeming like they’re a pretty good church. Then, we get hit with it. Despite all the good, they left their first love: God. How can that be?
Based on what knowledge we have here, the Ephesians were good at weeding out false teachers, and they were good at enduring suffering for the name of God. So, how could they be so far off from Him? Well, let’s think this through.
We know that the Ephesians did not tolerate evil, and they did not tolerate frauds. However, in all this praise, we don’t hear about their labors resulting from loving and honoring God. Instead, they’re strict people who make sure their group stays “good.” Sure, they’ve suffered for the name of God, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve done so because they love God. Rather, Revelation indicates that they’re motivations are misplaced.
From our reasoning, we’ve discovered that they are “good” people. That’s something that I’ve run into a lot. There are a lot of “Christians” who strive to be good people, but that’s where it ends. They want to be the social justice people, the ones praised for doing the “right thing,” but they completely lose focus of the One Who they should be striving to love and honor.
What do we learn from this? Being good isn’t enough. Yes, be a good and nice person, but don’t let that be the goal. That should not be the end. Instead, be a good person because you are so in love with God that being like the world is impossible! When we seek out God as our first love, it changes every area of our lives. The way we think, act, speak, and more changes. Our perspective on life shifts.
We can learn a lot from Jesus here. He was both. He loved God perfectly, and He was the only truly good person that will ever live on this earth. He did the will of God, and through that did good. God will never direct you to do evil or to hurt someone. So, if Ephesus returned to their first love, they would be and do good.
What are you striving for in life? Loving God well or being good? I challenge you to evaluate your life and determine whether you’ve been living in the will of God or trying in your own way to be good. There is so much better in life than simply being good. Strive for more; be like Jesus.