Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Amos 1:1-3:15, Revelation 2:1-17, Psalm 129:1-8, Proverbs 29:19-20

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“Do you love Me?”

Revelation 2:4 (NLT)
“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first!”

The church in Ephesus looked amazing on paper.
They worked hard.
They patiently endured.
They hated evil.
They tested false teachers.
They protected the purity of doctrine.
They suffered without quitting.

If you had walked into that church, you’d think,
“These people are solid. They are serious about God.”

But Jesus doesn’t look at the outer performance—He looks at the heart.
And when He examined theirs, He didn’t see the passion that once burned.
He didn’t see the tenderness.
He didn’t see the desire.
He didn’t see the hunger for His presence.

He saw believers who were faithful in action but distant in affection.

Somewhere along the way, they traded intimacy for activity.
They were doing all the right things—
but for all the wrong reasons.

And Jesus says to them,
“You don’t love Me like you used to.”

Not,
“You don’t serve Me…”
or
“You don’t work hard…”
or
“You don’t endure…”

But,
“You don’t love Me.”

It’s possible to be busy for God and still be far from His heart.
It’s possible to labor in ministry and lose the sweetness of relationship.
It’s possible to defend the truth and forget the One who is the Truth.

Just like the five foolish virgins—
they had the garments,
they had the lamps,
they even had oil…
but they fell asleep.
Their flame burned out.
And when they came to the Lord, He said words no servant of God ever wants to hear:

“I do not know you.”

Not because they were pagans.
Not because they hated God.
Not because they were rebellious.

He didn’t know them because they stopped knowing Him.

They stopped tending the flame.
They stopped nurturing intimacy.
They let the relationship fade while they went through the motions of religion.

Revelation 2:4 is a gentle but piercing reminder:
You can do everything for Jesus and still lose your heart with Jesus.

And what does He ask?

“Return to your first love.”

Not,
“Try harder.”
“Do more.”
“Be better.”

He simply wants your heart again—
the way you loved Him when He first rescued you,
when joy flowed easily,
when worship wasn’t a chore,
when obedience wasn’t heavy,
when prayer wasn’t a checklist,
when you loved Him just because He loved you.

He isn’t calling you back to busyness.
He’s calling you back to Him. 💎

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Action (5Minutes with God)

Take 5 minutes with the Lord today and ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me personally to know about this today?”
  • Journal what He whispers by His Holy Spirit
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He tells you – then do it!

Let today be a day of rediscovering the love that started it all.

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Prayer

Jesus, I never want to be someone who works for You but no longer walks with You.
If any part of my heart has drifted into routine or religion, call me back.
Restore the wonder, the joy, the nearness, and the love I had at first.
Draw me close again. I want to know You—and be known by You. Amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.