You have forsaken the love you had at first. (Rev2:4, NIV)
For those lucky enough to have made a hole-in-one, I am betting you will always remember it. You have probably retold the story in great detail ad nauseam to anyone who would listen.
You know the club you hit, the yardage, pin location, what the wind was doing, and what was happening in your head before, during, and after the shot. More than likely, it is a blissful moment you will remember forever. Of course, retelling the story over and over helps. Retelling the story is almost as fun as the shot itself.
It has become a fun icebreaker question to ask your playing partner on the golf course. “Hey, you ever had a hole-in-one?” If the answer is “yes,” the story turns into a detailed account that will take the next three holes to narrate.
Regardless of our hole-in-one resume, we can all relate. We’ve all had that long iron shot over the hazard that cozied up for a tap-in or a chip-in from the green side bunker that was nothing short of magical.
We replay these moments repeatedly at night as we fall asleep with a smile on our faces. As the saying goes, that one shot keeps you coming back to this silly game we call golf.
Jesus’ message to the seven churches in Revelation, chapters two and three, is a fascinating study. His words are loving, correctional, purposeful, and relevant. The first church he spoke to was Ephesus. We know much about this church as Paul wrote to her in his Ephesians letter.
Paul opens and ends his letter with attributes like loving, holy, and faithful. Yet when Jesus speaks to her, he criticizes her for forsaking her love for him. How did this church get so broken after just a few years? More importantly, are we guilty of the same thing? If so, how do we get back on track?
Fortunately for the reader, Jesus tells us his 2-step remedy. Repent and do the things you did at first. (Rev. 2:4) Repenting is recognizing our sin and turning away from it. The second part takes some reminiscing. When we first surrendered our lives to Christ, what did we do? For me, I could not wait to tell someone. My parents first, then my relatives, friends, and colleagues.
I started talking to my non-Christian friends about my salvation which usually sparked a dialogue regarding who Jesus was and what my conversion even meant. I was zealous to share the gospel with anyone who would listen. Admittedly, that zealousness has waned a bit over the years. Perhaps it has for you too. It certainly did for the Ephesians.
We have all met that one golfer who has had 14 hole-in-ones. They get more and more mundane after a while. For the Ephesians, their zealousness for grace got a little mundane too.
Like them, we sometimes take grace for granted. We do not take the time to prayerfully consider Jesus’ atonement for our sins often enough, and we do not zealously share our story as much as we should.
Today more than ever, Jesus pleads with us to remember His infinite love with the same enthusiasm a golfer does his finite passion.
Prayer: Jesus, renew our passion for You and our yearning for others.