Getting Out of the Rut
Jesus said to the Church of Ephesis, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen!”
I don’t think this means they had forsaken Christ nor that they had stopped loving Him. Clearly from the previous commendation, they still were active in the church He held in His hand. They continued to seek the truth and endured without growing weary. But they did not love in the same way they once had.
Many Christians have experienced this. There is the first excitement as the Holy Spirit pours into their life and they shake off the bondage and despair they held before in exchange for the hope and promise of the good news of the gospel.
But, day to day life the progresses. They travel the same paths. The routine of their life begins to form paths, which over time form ruts along those paths, until the are bottoming out in the ruts of life they have made. Most of us have been on that path.
But that is not the life Jesus wants for us. But it requires a change on our part. Each day, Christ would have us take a new path. We may drive the same way, we may do the same work. But the Christian life is not about these things it is about souls. Along that same drive we will encounter different people. At work we will transact and talk with different people or, even if it is the same people, their life will have changed from the previous day.
Do you start your day by asking God to open your eyes to the person you are to witness to today? You may witness to them by discussing Christ with them, by praying with or for them, or maybe by refraining from the anger you would like to show when they cut you off or mistreat you.
In life we will get on the wrong path. Rarely, if ever, will we have the strength on our own to get out of that rut and change direction. More commonly, if we try to do it on our own, we fall right back into the same (or a deeper) rut. It is only by the strength and love of God that we can truly repent.
You are a fully forgiven, eternally living, child of God who has been invited to do what Adam and Eve were prohibited from doing – to eat from the tree of life and live forever with and walk with your creator. Does your life reflect that?
My Answers:
7.
You have forsaken the love you had at first
8.
a.
To put time with God at the beginning and end of every day. To stay in His word daily and carry it in our thoughts, in our words and in our actions. To let the light of His holiness shine through us. To walk in the light not hide in the shadows.
b.
Willingness to lay down my own life, interests, priorities and desires to serve the Lord in what ever way He calls me.
9.
1. recognize you are on the wrong path 2. confess 3. with God’s power, turn back
My lack of self discipline in many areas of my life (diet, exercise, time management) reduce the days I have to serve Him
10.
a.
After sinning (by eating from the one forbidden tree) man was not allowed to eat of the tree of life (he lost his rights)
Jesus is giving man back the right to eat from it and live forever
b.
It means that every sin and all sin have been erased. Man will be restored to the garden to live and walk with God and live forever.
The Notes are Good 