As
I snatched my son’s backpack off our enclosed front porch, I noticed my
neighbors out for a walk. I stealthily scurried back inside to finish working
on dinner. And yet as I finished meal preparations, remorse washed over me. I
had been intentionally seeking to share the gospel with these same neighbors
for the past two years, but instead of seizing these spontaneous moments to
connect, I had fled.
It
wasn’t that I didn’t like them—I genuinely did. But as an introvert, sometimes
I would rather leave a note with baked goods on someone’s doorstep or wave from
a distance than engage face-to-face when I’m busy.
As
I mulled over the situation, the root heart issue surfaced: I loved myself more
than Jesus. I cared more about maintaining my routine, than sharing Jesus with
nonbelievers.
This
realization was as unsettling for me as it would have been for the Ephesian
church in the book of Revelation. Jesus warned Ephesus that they had “abandoned
the love [they] had at first” for Him (Rev. 2:4), resulting in not fulfilling
their purpose to be “a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach the
end of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). The church was more consumed with solid theology—rather
than telling people about Jesus—and had lost their original love for the Lord.
We can have an excellent grasp of Scripture, but miss the most important thing:
loving God. Without love, we will not be compelled to share our faith with
those around us.
But we aren’t left wondering how to rekindle our love for God when its flames begin to flicker out. Jesus exhorts us to “remember” (Rev. 2:5) how we passionately pursued Him in the past. When we reflect upon how God worked previously—including what we read on the pages of Scripture—it ignites our love for the Lord. And with renewed love we will be unable to contain the good news about Jesus and compelled to proclaim it. Dear ones, let’s remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness so we joyfully share the gospel with those He places in our paths today.
This devotional was originally published at The Round Farmhouse.