To this eye of Asia, as Ephesus was proudly called, the first of these seven inspired messages was sent by the Great Bishop of souls. He enjoins John to put on record the grounds of His commendation. He begins with the lights of the picture before filling in the contrasting background. “I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.” All this bespeaks a prolonged struggle, just as we might have looked for in that city where cultured Greek and subtle Oriental and libertine Roman and intolerant Jew combined with the native and bigoted votaries of Diana in uncompromising hostility to the faith of Jesus.
And yet this well-earned praise is followed with a “nevertheless.” The first ardor of their early love had cooled. Does not this righteous upbraiding come home in solemn, searching truth to many hearts? Where is the fervor and devotion of first love?
Has the love of the world, or the love of sin dulled and deadened spiritual life so that there are no kindlings of soul as once there were at the mention of the name of Jesus? Has a mechanical, formal orthodoxy taken the place of the life of faith and devotion? What is to be done? Is the lamp to be allowed to sputter in the darkness without an effort to resuscitate it? No! the Lord’s fidelity in rebuke is only to prepare the way for a gracious remonstrance: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works.” Turn, not by rekindling a mere fitful glow of ardent emotion, but by doing “the first works”–the true test of a genuine revival of that love which has suffered so sad a decay.
Be this our reply, in the might of Him who walks amid the candlesticks, “Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts: cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved!”