First Love

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Revelation 2:4

It was a great organization, full of people who worked hard and never gave up. Even when money nearly ran out and people told them they were foolish, they kept working toward their goal. They wouldn’t put up with evil people. They held the line in regards to moral behavior. Committed to the rules of their founder, they knew that a little leaven can destroy an entire batch of dough.


They vetted possible leaders fully, not wanting anything to come out that would embarrass their organization or inhibit its progress. The interview process was heady, with precise answers required to precise questions of ethics, behavior and motivation. The inquiry went beyond the interrogation; their background was investigated for any crumb of hypocrisy or deceit.

One should not suppose this group considered itself elite or more righteous than others. To the contrary, they were butt of jokes among society at large. Their beliefs were considered antiquated, their way of life subpar, and very few of them rose to any sort of power in the world around them. They were content to be seen as devoted to a cause that demanded moral backbone and a high resolve to the truth.

In fact, many of their group were fired from jobs simply for belonging. They had a hard time believing it the first time someone was jailed for membership in their society. Soon they wore such treatment as badges of honor, considering the discrimination they endured as proof they were true to the cause. In fact, they had been told, “You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.”

Although I’m not sure I could stand up to the high expectations, I probably would not turn down an invitation to join them. For all the nay saying about them, they actually did a lot of good. They took care of widows and orphans, ran food banks, helped the sick recover, took in the homeless and stored up their own tiny incomes to use for someone in greater need. Yes, I think I would accept an invitation to their next lunch meeting.

Yet, for all the good they did, and the personal goodness they showed, there seemed to be something lacking. It is very difficult to criticize a group which not only is committed to helping change society but also doesn’t give up in the face of sizeable challenges. But I think I noticed it the first meeting I attended.

There was no doubt their commitment to the Founder’s words. They were quoted often. Yet, the quotes were sometime tinged with either a sense of self-congratulation or spoken to prod those they thought weren’t quite toeing the mark. I had some acquaintance with the words they quoted, and I knew they were often taken out of context. Put within the lips of the Founder himself, and within the context of the greater message he was speaking, the tone was more finely tuned. I discovered the Founder rarely allowed his group to take credit for themselves, and even less often allowed them to judge the works and motives of others.

In describing a similar group, one of its leaders described it as being full of spiritual power; speaking languages of angels and having the gift of prophecy. They were full of knowledge, understanding God’s secrets. They had inconceivable faith, so much that some said they could move mountains. Many gave all they had to the poor, others going as far as sacrificing their bodies.

Yet, the leader remarked that, though they did all these wonderful things, if one characteristic was missing, everything else would be nothing. Not only “nothing”, it would be actually annoying, like a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. If they did all these moral, righteous, ethical things, but lacked love, it was all a sham.

And so, moving away from our metaphor, we understand why Jesus would be grieved that a church could lose their first love for Him and others. I am sure we have all seen churches that fit the bill. You couldn’t complain about what they did, their doctrine, their morals; but something seemed missing. Maybe the first clue was, though they did so many laudable works, few smiled. The sounds of laughter, the buzz of camaraderie was sadly silent.

It is like walking into a home where the children have left. Husband and wife sit, reading or watching television, and exist together. Neither has been unfaithful, they treat each other well, but the spark is noticeably gone. No one could accuse them of having a bad marriage, it just didn’t seem like they enjoy it all that much.

Love for Christ and others is not simply one virtue we tack on to a list of 20 or so others. Love is the foundation, not a fence surrounding the dog run. Love is the ink on the page, the marching orders of the leader, the notes that make music soar and the air we breathe to keep alive our relationship with God and others. All must start with love, be spurred on with love, be supported by love and end with love. We may have to lay aside all the busy work we have called “church” to reexamine our motives. For, without love as our battle cry, we often slay the innocents we are sworn to protect.

Jesus goes on to tell this church, “Look how far you have fallen!” Lacking love is not mere fine tuning, it is missing the point altogether. Let us honestly bring our hearts to Jesus, and ask Him to help us regain the love we may have lost; the first love that rarely counted the cost, and usually was shown with a laugh or a smile.