Take a good dose of Jesus’ medicine as needed

I have always been encouraged to see the excitement in a new convert. They are eager to learn and grow, they look up when the preaching is going on and listen carefully to what is said, they sing with enthusiasm to the Lord, they thoroughly enjoy fellowship, they even pay attention to the announcements !   They don’t know about the Bible as much as we who are older in the Lord but in many ways they put us to shame and this is something the Lord Himself put His finger on in the letter He wanted dictated to the church of Ephesus.

A storied church with some good things about it, the Ephesian church had had great teachers and pastors, they had been privileged to enjoy the ministry of Paul, Timothy and others and in the book which bears their name they had some wonderful things any church would be pumped about. Yet something started to happen and my guess is that something was a slow, gradual decline which elicited the Savior’s rebuke:  “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” (Rev.2:4).  Now rather than write them off and kick them out of His church, the Lord offered THE solution for such hearts: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works. . .” (vs.5).  The remedy is simple yet powerful !

When is the last time, really, when you were in a spiritual funk that you first looked at yourself very honestly (not blaming your church, your pastor, another member) but looked at the “beam in your own eye” to see if there is one there and if so to simply admit your sin and take it to a loving Savior Who is desirous to forgive you, use you, and restore the joy of His salvation again?   Jesus’ words are golden here telling us to look back at where we went wrong, ‘fess up, and get busy again serving Him !  There is no time to waste, there are souls to save, folks to minister to, rewards to be gained, a Lord to glorify !

So in the midst of a dreary winter do you find youself today a little spiritually lethargic?  Take Jesus’ “medicine” it works very well !!!