Returning to Our First Love (Revelation 2:3-7)

“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:3–4)

In Revelation, John writes to seven churches to prepare their hearts for the return of Jesus. He commends the church in Ephesus for their endurance and faithfulness, yet he confronts them for losing their first love. They had grown strong in works but weak in affection for Christ and for one another. That warning sounds familiar to our own lives. It’s easy to check the spiritual boxes—attending church, reading the Bible, praying—yet lose the passion that once fueled our relationship with Jesus. We can become more focused on doing for Him than being with Him. But John reminds us there’s a way back to our first love.

In verse 5, he gives three simple but powerful commands: Remember, Repent, and Do.

Remember.
When anything meaningful becomes hard, whether in a career, a relationship, or our faith, we must remember why we started. We began because we loved it. In our walk with Jesus, we need to remember His faithfulness when we were unfaithful and how His love transformed us. Remembering renews gratitude, and gratitude rekindles love.

Repent.
The word abandon in verse 4 reminds us we’ve turned away from our first love. Repentance isn’t just about guilt; it’s about turning back toward Jesus with a softened heart. When we see His grace clearly, the Holy Spirit restores what has grown cold.

Do.
After we remember and repent, we’re called to do the things we did at first: serve with joy, love others deeply, and live with purpose. When our love for Christ is real, the world will see it through how we love people.

John closes with a promise in verse 7: “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

The reward for returning to our first love is eternal life with Christ: our hope, our joy, and our forever home.

By C.A. Carter