Avoiding Autopilot
Kendall Hine
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4
If you ask me, the most tactful people in relationships are those that are the masters of the compliment sandwich. Have you ever had a conversation with a brother or sister who needs to confront you, but started out by complimenting you? You are on a high, feeling really good about yourself, and then they hit you with the truth. Your high is gone, and you are left contemplating the truth that your friend is speaking in your life, on quite the emotional rollercoaster. However, no sandwich is complete without two slices of bread, and they gracefully and lovingly build you back up, a perfect compliment sandwich. I do not know about you, but I think those can be some of the hardest yet most rewarding conversations.
We see the church in Ephesus get a compliment sandwich in Revelation chapter 2 when God begins to tell them what they do really well. They are people who work with great endurance, and have remained strong in their pursuit for the sake of the church! The Lord says in Revelation 2:2-4, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.” Then they get the meat of the sandwich. God reprimands them, saying that they have forgotten their first love, the love of Christ. He rebukes them, saying “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4). The sheep have strayed into the pasture, lost, without their shepherd to guide them along.
Have you ever been driving and started floating off, only to come back to reality and realize you have been going ten minutes without really paying attention? I know I have! The church of Ephesus had been working so hard, yet was on autopilot. They were a church driven by reasons other than their love of Christ, what an oxymoron! Friends, I ask you today, when is the last time you stopped for a moment to ask yourself, “What is my reason for working in the name of Christ?” Are you truly motivated to work to further the Kingdom of God, or is it something else? You might find yourself going along with the motions, serving out of obligation, or wanting applause for your works. I encourage you to set aside time today and take inventory of your work for Christ. Do not set it to autopilot like the church of Ephesus, but instead, pour out your praise to the One who deserves it all. Let us not be a people who forget our first love.