2.6 - The Rest of the Remedy

Today’s Readings: Col 3.1-4; Rev 2.1-7, 4.1-11; I Jn 5.7; Ps 119.89; Isa 6; Eph 3.14-15

Today we will be looking at the conclusion of God’s REMEDY to LOSING our FIRST LOVE from Rev 2.5. Before we get there, let’s remember one thing. Sometimes, the REMEDY leaves an AWFUL TASTE in our mouth. Just because it is good for us does not mean it won’t taste like we are drinking motor oil in the process. Just as that is true of physical remedies like cough syrup, often the same is true of spiritual remedies. Isn’t that the way it usually is, the things that are the best for us are the things that are the hardest to go through?

We’ve seen before that the first step God gives us in returning to our FIRST LOVE is to (1) REMEMBER where we’ve fallen from, which has been the focus of our devotions for the last 2 days.

The next step in God’s remedy for our situation, is to (2) REPENT. Now if there was ever a term we American Christians do not like to hear, it is REPENT! We don’t like to be told we are wrong, and that we need to change something. Do you remember when John the Baptist appeared on the scene in John 1-3? His message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” What he was saying, is that the Kingdom God had been promising was just around the corner, and in order for people to prepare to enter that kingdom, they need to REPENT from their way, and TURN to God’s way. There is a connection between REPENTING and TURNING that we cannot overlook. To REPENT from something simply means that we TURN AWAY from that thing, and TURN TOWARD it’s opposite. For example, if I wanted to REPENT from going south on the highway, I would bust a U-turn and head NORTH. That is as simple as it gets. God is telling us that the next thing we need to do, once we REMEMBER where we came from and REALIZE the new (incorrect) direction in which we are headed, we simply TURN BACK to that original direction, that FIRST LOVE.

The last, and very simple step that God gives us is (3) REPEAT. I actually like the words He uses much better, but we use that for alliteration. God’s words to them are, “DO THE FIRST WORKS” which means to DO THE WORKS you did when you FIRST were in LOVE with God. That’s pretty short and sweet isn’t it? In our culture, this is a concept we seem to lose in the mix most times, the JUST DO IT factor that is. I can remember my father teaching me as a young man that, “…sometimes you just have grit your teeth and get through it…” That is so true. There are things in life that are hard, that are no fun, and that you wish were different, but that doesn’t change the facts. And truly, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. The easy thing to do is for us to stop before STEP 3. We REMEMBER what it was like “back then” and we mentally REPENT of the ways we have chosen since then, only to fall short of actually REPEATING or DOING THOSE FIRST WORKS AGAIN. I pray this will not be the case with us today. I pray God will give us the discipline we need to JUST DO IT, and move on our way getting back to Him.

To conclude today, let’s take those steps to the REMEDY and apply them to what we learned are the “THINGS ABOVE” Wednesday night. Here are those four things again, and then there will be a fill-in-the-blank below to help guide us in our evaluation of our spiritual temperature this morning…

1. The Person of God (I Jn 5.7)
2. The Word of God (Ps 119.89)
3. The Throne of God (Isa 6, Rev 4)
4. The Family of God (Eph 3.14-15)

Now, let’s evaluate for the REMEDY just fill in the blanks with the four THINGS ABOVE listed here…

“How was my love for the _____ of God when I was first saved? (REMEMBER) What is in my life today that keeps me from having that same kind of first love for the _____ of God, and what do I need to turn away from in order to get back there? (REPENT) What can I do today to show that I am serious about loving and seeking the ____ of God? (REPEAT)”