Meditations on
Staying In the Grace for Today
October 23, 2025
You Don’t Love Me
“But I have this
complaint against you.
You don’t love me
or each other as you did at first!
Revelation 2:4
The verses quoted below, when the Apostle Paul met with the disciples from Ephesus, are a compelling vision of the Godly love for one another that Jesus prayed for the church in John 17.
“When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship”. (Acts 20:36-38)
However, the love so deeply held among the disciples in Ephesus was almost totally lost. Revelation 2:4, quoted above, is when the church in Ephesus is next mentioned in the Bible. Here Jesus rebukes them, “Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5) The situation in Ephesus reminds me of the fable, "The frog in the kettle.” The analogy illustrates that a frog placed directly in boiling water would jump out, but one placed in cool water that is slowly heated would not perceive the threat until it's too late and is then boiled to death. This fable warns against complacency.
The Apostle Paul implores Timothy, and us, to “guard what God has entrusted to you.” (1 Timothy 6:20) I believe it is vitally important for us to know what we believe, and to pray and live what we believe. One of the enduring gifts of the ancient confessions and liturgies of the Christian church, is that they can keep us grounded in the truth of God in Christ Jesus. Paul modeled what it looks like to have our lives hidden in Christ and where we live, move and have our being in Him. Seeking the life in Christ as our way of life is a 24/7 endeavor and requires constant vigilance so that we can strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Then we can run with endurance the race God has set before us as we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. (See Hebrews 12:1-2)
My Takeaway: Will you pray with me? “Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen” (Collect for Purity, BCP)
Sē’lah
My book on
prayer,
First Think, Then
Pray
is now available
on Amazon Kindle.
(Selah is a word that appears in the
Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my
correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about
these things.)
These
meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his
way of life. The meditations are
published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/
and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may
subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.
Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight
Unless
otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless
otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House
Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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