Our obedience to Christ is an essential and life-giving part of our faith, as our obedience is proof and response of our love for Jesus (John 14:22-24). To walk with Jesus and be one in Christ means to live like He lived, and do all that He did. God makes His dwelling in us through His Spirit, and as we walk in obedience to Christ, we are formed more into His image. We are called to perfect obedience and holiness (Matthew 5:48).

Jesus writes to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2, and he commends them on their obedience to him. He recognizes their hard work and their labor. They have endured in the world, and they have rejected evil people. They have protected themselves against false apostles, and they have not grown weary for the sake of Christ. This church is a top-notch, 5 star, highly rated, first row in Heaven kind of church. Jesus does not deny the hard work they have done; on paper they are the church to emulate. However, verse 4 throws them on their head: “You have abandoned the love you had at first.” He cuts straight to the heart. Yes, they’ve done all the right things, but they’ve lost sight of Jesus. The heart behind their obedience should be their love for Christ, yet they’ve lost their true motivation. Jesus calls them to repentance and to come back to the works they did at first. Jesus calls them back to the basics of their faith- the works that draw us nearer to Him in earnest and love.
 
We must be careful not to fall prey to the rigidity of our obedience. Yes, be obedient to the Lord; do as He commands. However, the second our eyes are removed off of Him our obedience no longer flows from love for Christ but now comes from pride and conceit. We can get so caught up in the rules and being right and perfect that we miss the point. We follow Jesus and do as He says because He loved us first. We see Jesus’ true heart and hope for His people in verse 4- not blind obedience, but a true love, devotion, and connection to our savior. He knows what’s best for us; He knows that what we most need is Himself. There is no joy or warmth of ministry and Christianity without the loving embrace of Jesus.

I believe this passage has spoken to every believer at one time in their life. For me I was a teenager, and He has drawn me back to this verse so many times in my walk since then to remind me of who my first love is. For me, growing up in church taught me obedience to Scripture first, and it wasn’t for years after giving my life to Jesus that I began to truly fall in love with Him. So, when the Spirit of peace brings me back to Revelation 2:4, I close my eyes and I approach the Lord in His throne room. I draw myself up into His lap, and I just sit, and I am held. I return to my first love. I am rejuvenated. I am loved first, and I am at peace in the arms of my savior.
 
He wants us, and He wants us to love Him and live our lives and walk in our faith out of a deep love for Him. So weary Christian, strained by the chains of prideful obedience, return to your first love. Sit with Jesus, embrace the warmth of His love, and endure.