Have
you started writing things down yet? Students
have schedules, workers have lists, and husbands have honey-do lists. Lynn recently made me a list of tasks she wanted me to
accomplish. When she gave me the
list she gave me this warning. “Don’t
loose it.” Well, guess what.
I lost it. But, the good
news is I found it again. When I
found it, I was pleased to have discovered that I had accomplished everything
on it. The bad news is I got
another list. I really don’t
think it is a sign of old age or anything like that.
After all I am only 44ish. But,
I would prefer to think it is a sign of wisdom.
Some things are important to me and I don’t want to forget them.
My wife is important to me and I want to try to get some things done
for her happiness and our well-being.
Have you ever forgotten something that was important? Getting things
done isn’t as important as people.
People are important. Have
you forgotten someone who is important? Things
are temporary, but people and God is forever.
Scripture
Text:
Rev. 2:1 "To the
angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the
seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I
know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot
tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but
are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured
hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against
you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you
have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent,
I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have
this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also
hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,
which is in the paradise of God.
To
the Church in Ephesus He says:
God
remembers your hard work, your perseverance, and your endurance.
God
remembers your desire and efforts to remain faithful.
Wisdom says to write it down before
you forget. Or better yet, as one
of my friends would do, just go ahead and get it done.
Then you can go on to the next task.
The important things are done.
Did you remember that God remembers?
He remembers the flood and promises to not destroy the earth with water
ever again (Gen. 9:15-16). God
remembers his servants: Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel and he fulfilled His promise He made to them.
God remembers to forget our sin. Hebrews
10:17 says, Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
He forgets our sins when we confess it before Him. I am glad He remembers some things, but He forgets others.
The Creator knows how easily we forget, so He wrote down some things
that he wants us to remember.
God
wants us to remember our First Love.
Remember that He is the only, true
living God. Remember to give
yourself to Him who gave himself for you.
Remember to love Him above all others and to love your neighbor as
yourself. Remember to forget
about those trespasses against you. Remember
to keep first things first in your life.
Remember to forget the past and press on towards the new.
John said to the Ephesians in Rev. 2:4 Yet
I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the
height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its
place. Let’s
remember to renew our faith and our lives as we give ourselves daily to the
Lord. Don’t forget the first things.
Keep the first things, first. Remember
to continue to come to church and serve the Lord, even when things are good,
during vacations, and when things are bad.
Remember He is the Lord.
God
wants us to remember that He is Love and this is the fire that lights us up.
God’s light will be removed
from the church that forgets its first love.
The love of God that makes us shine as stars in the universe is the
light of God. He says to the
church that you have done well to be against the evildoers, but what are you
for? Are you for the Lord?
Are you for loving the Lord with all your heart?
Are you for loving others as you love yourself?
Remember to love him first above all.
Could
we make ourselves a “To Love List?”
Have you made yourself a “To Do” list yet?
God made a list of things he wanted his people to do and then He gave
it to Moses to give to the people. He
called it the law. God wrote it
down so that we wouldn’t forget it. He
remembers but sometimes we forget. Think
about it. Do you have that
nagging feeling that you have forgotten something? Maybe it isn’t your wife that is bothering you.
Could it be that God is trying to remind you of whom He wants you to
be? This summer as you work on
your list of to do’s don’t forget God. If He gets left out and you complete your list, then you have
missed it completely. A little
with God is better than everything without Him.
What has a person accomplished who gets everything, but looses his own
soul? What about your family?
What about your friends? God
has given you a to love list. How
much have you gotten done? It is
time to get it done. God first!
Remember
this: Love is the reason.
All His Strength
A little boy declared that he
loved his mother “with all his strength.” He was asked to explain what he
meant by “with all his strength.” He said: “Well, I’ll tell you. You
see, we live on the fourth floor of this tenement; and there’s no elevator,
and the coal is kept down in the basement. Mother is busy all the time, and
she isn’t very strong; so I see to it that the coal hold is never empty. I
lug the coal up four flights of stairs all by myself. And it’s a pretty big
hold. It takes all my strength to get it up here. Now, isn’t that loving my
mother with all my strength?”—Gospel Herald[1]
My Love And Baby’s Love
A gentleman who was a
professed Christian was taken seriously ill. He became troubled about the
little love he felt in his heart for God, and spoke of his experience to a
friend. This is how the friend answered him.
“When I go home from here,
I expect to take my baby on my knee, look into her sweet eyes, listen to her
charming prattle, and tired as I am, her presence will rest me; for I love
that child with unutterable tenderness. But she loves me little. If my heart
were breaking it would not disturb her sleep. If my body were racked with
pain, it would not interrupt her play. If I were dead, she would forget me in
a few days. Besides this, she had never brought me a penny, but was a constant
expense to me. I am not rich, but there is not money enough in the world to
buy my baby. How is it? Does she love me, or do I love her? Do I withhold my
love until I know she loves me? Am I waiting for her to do something worthy of
my love before extending it?”
This practical illustration
of the love of God for His children caused the tears to roll down the sick
man’s face. “Oh, I see,” he exclaimed, “it is not my love to God, but
God’s love for me, that I should be thinking of. And I do love Him now as I
never loved Him before.”
—Gospel Herald[2]
[1]Tan,
P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of
Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and
Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.
[2]Tan,
P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of
Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and
Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.