Jesus' message to the church at Ephesus is always a challenging one. They were doing a lot of good things and church was going along as usual … yet the love that they had for God and each other at the beginning had faded. Jesus wrote to warn them about the danger they were in to urge them to do the things they had done at the beginning – to return to "first love."
The lyrics of Steve Fry's song First Love captures the cry of a heart desiring a return to first love:
Take me back to first love. To the place where I once was.
Where my passion was just obeying,
And prayer was sweet, the sweetest thing I knew.
Everything was possible with you.
Take me to the place of my first love with you.
Take me back to first love. To the place where I once was.
I could hear you, oh so clearly, and holiness was all I desired.
Wanting nothing less than being like Jesus.
My cry is take me to first love with You.
My heart was free from wanting to be seen.
Just wanting only your anointing.
They say you rise as you get older, all I know is I've grown colder.
Take me back to first love. To the place where I once was.
Where my passion was just obeying,
And prayer was sweet, the sweetest thing I knew.
Everything was possible with you.
Take me to the place of my first love with you.
May we each live in that first love with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Beautiful! Thanks Mark.