First love

You have forsaken the love you had at first. Revelation 2.4

The opening letter of the 7 recorded at the beginning of the Apocalypse of St John (Book of Revelation) is addressed to the "angel of the church in Ephesus". The Risen Jesus is flattering in what he dictates, except when he reaches the statement above: "You have forgotten the love you had at first." It would appear that Ephesian Christians had become so consumed with their defence of true faith that they were growing hard and possibly judgmental. While truth must be defended, it should never be at the expense of grace. The good news of Jesus is that God loves his creatures and his creation so much that he will stop at nothing to redeem us - even to the extent of abandoning his glory, sharing our hardships and offering his own perfect life as a ransom for our sins. All he asks in return is that we receive his forgiveness and share it with others. Neglecting to make that our priority amounts to forgetting our first love, requiring our immediate and wholehearted repentance.