But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:4-5
Have you ever said “I’m just not as strong as I used to be”? We began with this thought in our last article and will conclude it with this one. Making sure we do those things necessary to maintain spiritual well-being has never been a more needed study than right now. Life is filled with things that could so easily distract us or cause us to think that putting our souls’ well-being on the back burner so to speak would be a good idea while we take care of more pressing matters (Luke 9:57-62). It has always been this way. Men distract themselves with actions that seem as though they would be acceptable but in reality they are just excuses that keep us from following God.
One such indicator is that we have lost a concern for those who are lost or maybe better said all who are lost. It is well understood we, as Christians, are to carry the Word to the world but there are times our weakness can be exposed by a lack of concern. We read in Proverbs 11:30 that “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise”. It would be good to ask ourselves, how does the thought of folks being lost touch me? Another vital thing on this topic is that we pray for ourselves to have courage, conviction, and tact to speak to those who are lost and try to help them along life’s way (2 Pet 3:15).
I’m becoming weak if things of the world interest me more. My favorite season is quickly approaching. I love the Fall of the year! For me, it provides many things that garner attention. Again, ask ourselves, do the activities of this life cause more interest in me than the work of the church? If things of the world create more enthusiasm in me than spiritual matters then I’m in a dangerous and destructive place (Rom 8:5-7).
Failing to do what we know is right shows weakness (James 1:22-25). Many times one will say, “I know this is what I ought to do.” That statement indicates we know better than our actions. Simply, we’ve allowed ourselves to become weak and not have strength to do that which is right.
However, one doesn’t have to ever be weak at all! Ephesians 6:10 reminds us, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”.
By Jason Barger