PINNINGS OF THE CHURCH

 

PININNGS OF THE CHURCH

Rev. 2:4-5 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” NLT

The Lord has a complaint against all in the Church who have wandered away from godly love. It may not bother us so much, but it sure bothers God. We need to take a serious look at ourselves and examine our love meter. Do we love God and others as much today as we did when we were first saved?

Much of our initial love for the Lord is emotion-driven. We ride high on the fact that our sins are forgiven and we respond to Christ in love. But as we settle back into the routines of daily living, the edge of emotions wear off. If we don’t grow deeper in our understanding of Christ and His works of grace in us, we soon drift away from Him. Part of the wonder of grace is that it drives us deeper into an enduring love as opposed to an emotional love. We learn to appreciate what it is to live in a relationship with God. We respond to Him on a much deeper level than when we first believed.

If we don’t grow in the love of God, we soon quit producing evidence that Christ is in us. Our service tapers off and our witness takes on a mundane routine. We no longer have the spark, the desire we had when we first believed. In order for us to not fall away from our first love, we must work hard at maintaining our love. We must develop consistent Bible study and prayer time habits. We must stay connected to the fellowship of the church and strive to be involved in her activities as much as we can be. We must seize opportunities to serve the Lord in and outside the church. We must work hard at valuing our relationship with Christ above everything else.

The consequences of falling away from our love for God are severe. God will not force us to stay in His love. He will have fellowship only with those who desire to have fellowship with Him. It is a very dangerous thing to take our salvation lightly. If you find yourself out of love with the Lord today, you need to fall on bended knee before Him, repent of your wandering away, and renew your love for Him. You need to do it today, because tomorrow may be too late.

What are you pinning for, the things of the world or the things of God?