Our Lord was grieved with His Church in the Asian city of Ephesus. They had departed from their “first love” of Him! (Revelation 2:4) Their “head” was still right, their beliefs correct, but their “heart” had grown cold, as a Church congregation! This was a serious offense to the Lord: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:5)

In Jeremiah chapter 2 the Lord displays “hurt feelings” as well. God the Father is lamenting over backslidden Judah’s drifting further an further away from Him. He fondly remembers: “the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness.” Israel chasing the Lord, flirting with him! At first, after the Exodus, in the wilderness!

But (as was the case later with the Church at Ephesus) the people soon rebelled, fell “out of love” with the Lord, Who had been so very, very good to them!

They had begun to worship the false gods of the surrounding heathen Nations. The Lord there uses a word picture to show the degradation: “I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” (Jeremiah 2:21)

Heartbreaking, God’s Words: “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jeremiah 2:32)

Do we glean anything from this sorry situation?

Can we Christians not determine stay faithful to our dear Lord? To stay “in love” with Him? Never to “cool off,” but stay “fervent” in our relationship with God in Heaven?

Let’s learn from Ephesus. Let’s learn from Judah.

Let’s LOVE our Lord!

He is worthy!

Dr. Mike Bagwell

(Don’t forget our Video Bible Classes on our YouTube Channel! There we are studying the great Book of Jeremiah!)

.