FOCAL POINT EPHESUS: DO OVERS.....REQUIRES YOU DOING OVER

I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. ³ You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. ⁴ “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! ⁵ Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.  REV. 2:2-4

Can you imagine the disappointment?  Here you are doing some GREAT things, you see the results of them even, but when the master shows up to "white glove" inspect all your doings, you are enlightened to find you were doing them with the wrong heart?  REALLY?  I'm sure they knew how they felt about all the people they were serving.  You don't read that the church this was written to, went into "servitudinal"( I know it's not a word...but it should be.....)  shock.....NO.  Just like you.......in your marriage you know that the LOVE is absent in what or why you do what you do.    You are at work right now, and the reality is in YOUR HEART you say to yourself (or maybe it's so bad you've said it out loud, to someone even) I can't stand _________________________.   REALLY?

So Jesus is telling John to tell them You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! ⁵ Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.  So now the truth is made known......you know exactly how you feel about church, work, your spouse, that kid, your neighbor.....remember Jesus makes it a point to let them all know....HE KNOWS...HE KNOWS...HE KNOWS so there is nothing hidden from Him, so what does HE do...knowing their hearts....knowing your real motivations....STRIKE THEM DOWN!!!!!?????

NO...He's a good GOD, He's graceful...He's merciful and He extends to them, and each of you RIGHT NOW TODAY.....an opportunity to look at where you are (look how far you've fallen) so where ever you are right now...reflect on where is your heart regarding.........

Then He says (TURN BACK TO ME (Repent) so in other words change your course of direction....if you're heart is heading left/right turn it back towards the center....where HIS WILL IS.

Finally He then says to do the works you did at first some of not many people struggle here.  Many marriages come to me saying things are not the way they used to be.    Many people talk about how they don't like the job the way they used to.   We all have said things were better way back when.........and the reality is JESUS doesn't call us to, or tell us to do something TOTALLY different....NOPE....he says do the works you did at first.  Remember when you first got married, when you first got hired, when you first moved into that community, when you first started attending or joined .........that you did it with so much love.  You cared so much about______________, you did what you did with them in mind, there was nothing you wouldn't do to________________ and essentially your heart grew cold.

SO where ever you are right now......REMEMBER, REPENT & REDO.....that's why you have today......to DO - OVER, except DO IT RIGHT!   LGLP