When Love Grows Cold

This past Sunday, I shared a message how the routine can quietly rob us of loving Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and that we're invited instead to pray with expectation. This week, we'll sit with that idea day by day, moving from honest reflection toward real, courageous, expectant action.

Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:2-4

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!“

Reflection:

Football seasons come and go, and so does our enthusiasm for the things we once couldn't stop talking about. Church can work the same way. You show up, you sing the songs, you nod at the right moments, and somewhere along the way the fire that once felt so real has quietly banked down to embers. It isn't that you stopped believing. You just stopped noticing. The church at Ephesus had done all the right things too, working hard and enduring much, yet Jesus told them they had left their first love. He didn't ask them to try harder. He asked them to remember, repent, and return. That's the invitation for you today. Not a guilt trip here, just an honest question. When did loving Jesus become something you do instead of someone you adore? Go back to that place. Remember what drew you to Him in the first place.

Application Question: What has quietly become routine in your walk with Jesus — a checklist you complete rather than a relationship you cherish — and what would it look like to return to your first love this week?