How is Your Passion Level - Revelation 2:4

Welcome to Weekly Wisdom, an inspirational series hosted by Pastor Jeff Schreve. Each week, Pastor Jeff illuminates different sections of the Holy Bible, meticulously extracting pivotal themes and life lessons that can enrich and uplift your daily life. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Revelation chapter two, verse four, The Lord Jesus says this
to the Church in Ephesus, but I have this against you,
that you have left your first love. Let's pray, Father
in heaven, thank you for being our God, our God
who is faithful and true. Thank you that you are
the same, yesterday, today, yes and forever. Help us to

(00:22):
learn today from the Church in Ephesus as we look
at Revelation chapter two, for we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
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Speaker 1 (01:46):
Hi, and welcome to another episode of the Weekly Wisdom Podcast.
I'm Pastor Jeff Shree from Techsarkana, Texas, and the title
of today's podcast is a question, how is your passion level?
My father in law, Gerald Cannon, was a pastor in
the Greater Houston area for over fifty years. He was
a wonderful man of God with a wealth of Bible knowledge. Now,

(02:09):
when I was just beginning to teach my first Sunday
school class, way back when, I would call him on
Saturday nights to pick his brain regarding my Sunday morning
Sunday school lesson. And I remember asking him one day
about David. You know, David is called a man after
God's own heart. And I pose this question to my

(02:29):
father in law. I said, Gerald, what do you think
it means exactly to be a man after God's own heart?
And I loved his answer. He said, David had a
great passion for God. He loved the Lord and desired
to please the Lord. And the things that were important
to God were important to David. That's at the core

(02:52):
of what it means to be a man after God's
own heart. Well, now, in Revelation chapter two, verse four,
the Lord rebukes the church in Ephesus for leaving their
first love. Remember, the greatest commandment of all is to
love God with all your heart, all your soul, all
your mind, and all your strength. If you leave your

(03:14):
first love, that means you neglect the most important aspect
of life. If you leave your first love, your passion
for Jesus starts to cool. So let me ask you
how is your passion and your love for the Lord
Jesus these days? Are you on fire for him? Or
are you lukewarm? Or are you getting cold? Do you

(03:38):
want to take a little test to check your spiritual temperature? Now,
let me warn you this test is convicting. How do
you know if you've left your first love? Well, you've
left your first love. Number one when you delight more
in someone else than in God. You've left your first love.

(03:59):
Number two when your soul does not long for one
on one time with God. Number three you've left your
first love when your thoughts during leisure moments are rarely
on God. Number four you've left your first love when
you view the commands of God as restrictions on your life.

(04:20):
Number five you've left your first love when you inwardly
strive for the approval of man rather than the approval
of God. Number six you've left your first love when
you refuse to give up questionable activities. Number seven you
left your first love when you fail to make Christ

(04:41):
known for fear of rejection. Number eight you have left
your first love when you are unwilling to forgive another
person who wronged you. And number nine you have left
your first love when you become complacent of sin around you. Hey,
what do you do if your passion for Jesus has waned?

(05:05):
What do you do if you're guilty of leaving your
first love just like they did in the church in Ephesus? Well,
what you do is you heed the words of Jesus
In Revelation two, verse five, remember therefore from where you
have fallen, and repent and do the deed you did
it first, or else I am coming to you and

(05:27):
will remove your lamp stand out of its place unless
you repent. Hey, remember, we love because He first loved
us first. John chapter four, verse nineteen. Passion problems require
a fresh look at the cross of Jesus Christ. So
why not reread the crucifixion accounts in the Gospels, or

(05:49):
watch or even rewatch the passion of the Christ. You
will be powerfully reminded of his great love for you,
and your heart will start beating nationally once again for Jesus.
So maybe you need to pray this prayer of repentance,
Lord Jesus. When I honestly evaluate my heart for you,

(06:12):
I see that I'm guilty of leaving my first love.
I don't want to be a lukewarm Christian who's only
half heartedly in love with you. So God, change my heart,
set my soul on fire, help me to be passionate
about you once again. Jesus, thank you for the cross.
Let me never forget how much you love me and

(06:32):
the great price you paid to purchase my salvation. I
surrender anew and afresh to your will and to your
ways for me, and I pray this all in the
matchless name of Jesus. Amen. Well, thank you for listening
to this episode of the Weekly Wisdom Podcast. I'm Pastor
Jeff Shreeve and I would love to connect with you.

(06:52):
Visit my ministry website at fromhis Heart dot org for
resources and other materials to help you grow in your
face and for more wisdom to last a lifetime and
to make prayer a priority in your life. Download thepray
dot com app. Hey, if you enjoyed this podcast, please
share it with someone in your life who might also
be encouraged by it. Thanks again for listening, Make it

(07:15):
a great week, and may God richly bless you