What He Knows
In Revelation chapters 1and 2, Jesus has messages for seven churches, one of which was to the church at Ephesus. His message to them is found in Revelation 2:1-11. We’re going to look at it in the context of marriage, because even though it was from The Groom to The Bride (His Church), it just might apply to us in our marriages, since we represent the ultimate bride and groom. (Can you see that I want you to never forget this?)
He charges them with having left their first love. But before He does, he commends them for all they are doing, and the list is pretty long. He knows their deeds, their toil, how they persevere, that they don’t tolerate evil by testing every leader to be sure they are not false. If they are, they are labeled as such and thus discredited. In verse three Jesus notes their perseverance (again), their enduring and their not growing weary.
All this sounds like a lot of tiring work, does it not? Does this describe what your marriage may have devolved into? Doing what you aught out of duty, rather than what you desire out of first love? Are you a diligent doer, dutifully holding up your end of the bargain?
Somewhere along the line, this church stopped enjoying their relationship with their Lord. This might be true of you and your mate. Time can cause a relationship to grow stale. The freshness of joy escapes, leaving behind only hard, committed obligation. And guess who doesn’t like it?
So when (or if) this happens in your marriage, don’t be too surprised that you nor your spouse will find it enjoyable. And even though you might both be continuing to go through the motions, both of you know your (and/or your spouse’s) heart is not in it. You might be able to muster up the proper actions, but you can’t fake a feeling. And mustering up actions you don’t feel requires all that endurance and perseverance Jesus was noticing in his Bride in Ephesus. When all the joy is gone, it’s noticeable.
There’s also something else Jesus knows: what to do about this malady. But first, I want to be sure we understand fully why we need a cure at all, and that is all wrapped up in the word forsaken. The ailment and the remedy to come tomorrow.
Take Home: Do you need to "bring back that lovin' feelin'?"
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