Weekly Devoptional 11-13-17 Why Fruitless Efforts

Weekly Devotional 11-13-17 Why Fruitless Efforts

Last week in our devotional “Are Our Efforts Fruitless Efforts” we considered Jesus’ address to the church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7). We learned that even though He commended them for many things, He also condemned them for their diminished or lost love for Him. Being involved in the many activities of the church, they had begun to focus more on those activities than on Him. This probably started subtly, but the more they focused on activities, the less they focused on Him. The church of Ephesus was one of seven local churches that were representative of the entire church of that time, and of the entire church through many centuries up to today. There were other conditions in these churches that will finally lead to Jesus being outside much of the professed church (see Revelation 3:20). It started with Christians losing their first love for Him, of focusing more on activities than on Him.

There were persons of the Ephesian church who were not Christian, but Jesus’ condemnation was upon those who were truly born-again persons, truly Christian. Sadly, this has been the testimony of the church up to and including the church of our day. As a result, there are many fruitless efforts. If we of today want to be fruitful Christians, and if we want our local congregations to be fruitful, we must return to our first love for Jesus. The love which energized and was the motivation in us during the early stages our relationship with Jesus. He must rule and direct our hearts today. How is this to be realized? Is it not a complete surrender to the leading of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, which is the Holy Spirit? I believe the answer is yes. There cannot be two persons who sit on the throne of our heart. It is either Jesus or it is self. If it is self, then the love we first had for Jesus is greatly compromised. Godly love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, will result in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness (humility), and temperance. If we live by these tenets we will not be fruitless. The problem is, we grieve the Holy Spirit (we stand against the Holy Spirit) by reseating ourselves on the throne and we become fruitless. If we who are of the church are fruitless, the church becomes fruitless and it loses its testimony in and to the community.

May each one of us fight against self-will as we seek His will. Let us each return to our first love for Him. If we do, our efforts will not be fruitless.

 

stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man

 

 

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