“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” Revelation 2:5
Dear Ones:
Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us that there is a time for everything. Two things that are opposite in nature, for which there is a time, is the act of remembering and that of forgetting. On the one hand, when God would deliver us from some sin, or fault, some failure which has resulted in suffering, perhaps in affecting others, He would have us NOT to use that failure as a point of reference for going forward. He has provided in Christ, by His precious blood, cleansing from ALL sin, that every day can and should be a new beginning. This does not mean that we do not learn from the failures of the past, nor that we do not seek to rectify wrongdoing, but it does mean that God has provided in Christ all that is needed in order to rise out of the dust, regain one’s feet, learn the lesson, and go forward. Life is too short to mull over sin and failure. We are all, as a dear brother once told me, “glorified failures.” May we trust the Lord Jesus for thorough cleansing, a fresh anointing, “clean hands and a pure heart, ” with a “right spirit” in our hearts and minds, and go forward, and upward.
So, there is a necessity to forget the past, but there is also the essential element of remembering “signposts,” examples of the lives of men and women who have preceded us, truths that perhaps were once lived by, but have been for one reason or another, neglected. When our present experience is not that of victory, we are called to “remember.” In the case of the Ephesian church mentioned in chapter 2 of the book of Revelation, we have such an example. Here is a church whose knowledge of the gospel, and its truths, brought her to a place in communion with the Lord which was seemingly unsurpassed. Yet, for some reason, she had “forgotten” the highest meaning of her calling, that of communion with Christ…loving Him. There was no question as to her zeal, nor her faithfulness. However, she had ceased to abide in Christ, to live by and for Him. She had forgotten the Lord’s own words: “…for without Me, you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5) The Lord’s assessment of the situation was so very clear: “…You have left your first love, … remember from whence you have fallen.” (v.4,5) What was then the remedy, the answer to the need of Ephesus? “Remember.” Remember what? “From whence you have fallen.” It was essential to remember that, as Ephesus had begun by the Spirit, she was to continue BY the Spirit. Her whole existence, and fruitfulness, and the realization of the purpose of God in and through her was dependent upon the renewed communion with Christ, by the Spirit. If the light of the LIFE of Christ by the Spirit was to burn brightly in and through her, she must come back to Christ’s perspective of the necessity of abiding, communion, dwelling in Him by the Spirit, and He in her.
So, what do we learn by this example? The first thing is that none of us are immune to failure, deception, and simply deviating from a right relationship, and experience of the Life of Christ by the Spirit. The good news is that God does not condemn us, but provides us with a signpost, to know HOW we are to regain our feet, and this life of victory. It is in the remembrance of what God IS and what are His ways, as revealed in the past, that a present experience of fellowship can be regained quickly. This is that which pleases God.
Dear Father, give us grace to recognize when we are not walking with Thee as we should. Enable us to trust Thee to deal with all sin and failure which has been the result. But grant us grace to REMEMBER what You have done in the past, what we have learned, enabling us to know HOW to regain our feet. Strengthen our hearts to believe Thee wholly, and without reserve, as we “practice the first things,” that which contributes to first love, and fellowship with Thee. We thank and praise Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad