Don't settle

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus... I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance... But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love that you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent and do the works you did first."

(Revelation 2:1,2,4-5)

Relationship experts say that the "in-love" experience that all couples have (those emotionally-charged, euphoric feelings of "being in love") last approximately 2 years (three, if it's a secret affair!). That's it. On average, just two years. So at the end of that 2-year period, individuals have a choice to make: 1) move on to find another "in love" experience (for the next two years), or 2) change from experiencing love as "feelings" to love as "doing" for another. It's the "love is a verb" notion.

In Revelation chapter 2, there are 7 churches being addressed by God. One of the churches (in Ephesus) is initially commended by God for their toil and endurance for Christ. But God says they've also abandoned their "first love". They've lost the passion that drove them when they first came to the faith.

I was thinking about that in terms of the sociology of the "in-love" experience that couples go through. Evidently the Ephesians were "going through the motions" with their faith. They hadn't given up, but they'd lost their fervor.

It's not an equal comparison, I think. But there are some similarities. As Christians, we need to keep growing in our discipleship. We can't simply "go to church" (on Sundays, or whenever), only attending worship, and expect to keep growing. We have to go deeper in areas of spiritual growth, relationships, and service. And hopefully, along the way, we'll discover new passion and love for God. Different from when we first became a believer... but, eventually, deeper.

Don't settle... don't just "go through the motions"... in relationships or faith!