“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
(Revelation 2:4)
(Revelation 2:4)
I promised myself after last year’s show that I wasn’t going to get into this years show…but I did. I mean, it’s really a goofy show, anyone can feel happy, romantic & in love hanging out in the places & doing the things that they get to do. It’s only when they get back to the real world that they see the “reality” show, ain’t so real.
In the case of the bachelor in this seasons show, he seemed to have found out this little nugget of knowledge. Of course you already know that he picked Theodore Cleaver & proposed, but then when the show was over they had another show called “The Bachelor ‘After the Final Rose”, were they usually bring out the happy couple & show you how they are doing together, but this time it was more like an episode of Jerry Springer. The bachelor came out & told this girl (Beaver Cleaver), that he was wrong when he thought that he was in love with her. Then after she stormed off, they brought on the other girl that he dumped on the regular show & he told her that he was wrong when he thought that he didn’t love her & now he loves her…confusing huh? In all this confusion, I really came to realize something…people seem to have no understanding of real LOVE. Love for most is an “all about me” thing. It’s just a funny, butterfly feeling in their stomach when they really like someone. But what happens when that feeling isn’t there, when times are tough & there’s no tropical beach to run on or room service & limos? What happens? Just exactly what happened on that show, they start believing that they fell out of love & at times end up in divorce, adultery or both.
Jesus told the church in Ephesus that they had done good things in their actions, but there was one problem, one thing that he had against them…that they had forgotten their first or most important love, their love for Him. This was going to make all the good deeds worthless, if they didn’t have a love for Christ, the kind of love that makes you want to spend time with Him, learn more about Him & live for Him. I’m afraid that in our society, we are trying to “love” God as they do on the “reality” shows, love Him only when things are going good & we feel as though we are up on the mountaintop.
This last Sunday we had a few guest speakers, one missionary & two young men from the Sudan, who are here now attending college, with plans to take their education back to the Sudan & start a Christian school. Long story short, one of the young men told a story of their worship services in the Sudan. He told how they would dig foxholes around where they would meet, because of the Islamic/Muslim soldiers who would flyover & drop bombs on the area during their services. When they would hear the planes, they would all climb into the foxholes. When the bombing was over, they would all climb back out & continue with their worship service & praising God for his protection. The whole time he was speaking, he had this wonderful glowing smile on his face…you couldn’t help but see that he love God.
During the time that he was sharing about the joy they had in Christ, in the midst of all that war & plain terror, I couldn’t help but think of how I laid out of Church the Sunday before…because it was snowing. Not a travel advisory, impassable roads snowing, but Alabama snowing, an inch or two during the morning & melted away that evening. They worshiped during bombings & the fear of death. I skipped because of laziness & the thought that most churches might call it off today.
I’ve come to realize that love, is much more than what we say & what we feel, it truly is a lifestyle, an honest “Agape” kind of love…the only true love.
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD…” (Luke 10:27)
Vern
P.S.
Thought I was just kidding didn't you? Could be brother & sister.
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