Revelation 2:4 4but I hold this against you, that you have left your first love.
The letter to the Ephesians takes a radical turn in verse 4 after the significant praise in the earlier verses. From the outside, it looked like the Ephesian believers were doing well by standing up to persecution and taking note of false teachings. However, something went wrong, causing them to lower their commitment. Their initial love was growing weak and needed to be strengthened. Jesus does not say who or what was the object of their love. Was their love for Jesus growing weak, or had their love for one another become tainted with the selfishness of the world? The two options are related. If one’s love for Jesus is compromised and not total, it will show up in relationships with others.
Why do humans not keep to their words and commitments? Why is our initial excitement about becoming a believer leave after a while? We see this problem frequently in human relationships. A man and woman will fall in love, but after a few years or even dozens of years, they “fall out of love.” People fail to make the sacrifice and commitment needed for lasting love; instead, they live for the moment and by the feelings they have right now. Past commitments mean nothing.
Ever since the beginning of time and the fall of Adam and Eve, humans have lived for self-gratification and the good feelings of the moment. Deep down, this desire is fraught with the empty pursuit for peace and meaning, but these cannot be found in the created world but in the Creator. The love the Ephesians once had was because of their faith in Jesus. Their love had become choked by compromise and temptation, much like the seed that grew but was choked by thorns or was snatched by birds in Mark 4. We cannot base our love for God on emotions or circumstances, because they will come and go depending on the situation in which we find ourselves. Rather, our love must be based on the commitment of faith. Faith is strengthened by a relationship nurtured through prayer, devotions, fellowship, and the means of grace.