Day 13: Return to Your First Love
Intention
To rekindle extravagant love for Jesus and return to the love we originally had for him.
Scripture
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance… You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”
– Revelation 2:2–5
Reflection
The church in Ephesus had so much going for it. Jesus commended their hard work, perseverance, endurance, discernment and commitment to truth. Yet in the middle of all that strength, he identified something deeply wrong: they had left their first love.
Ephesus was historically a strong church, rich in leadership and apostolic ministry. Paul spent years there. Priscilla and Aquila ministered there. Apollos was strengthened there. Timothy led there, and early church tradition connects John with Ephesus later in his life.
This was not a lazy or compromised church.
They had worked hard. They had persevered. They had resisted wicked people. They had suffered for his name. They had stood against false apostles. They had endured hardships for Jesus. And they had not grown weary.
And yet Jesus says, “I have this against you.”
When I first read this passage, I thought, “They had simply forgotten their first love. Why does Jesus respond so strongly?”
But the word Jesus uses is much stronger than “forgotten.”
The Greek word is aphiēmi, which means ‘to leave, let go, forsake or abandon’.
They didn’t simply forget their first love. They had left it.
Somewhere along the way, they had continued doing the works of Jesus while losing the love for Jesus that had once been at the centre of everything.
That is a sobering warning for us.
We can be busy for Jesus and stop being with Jesus. We can defend truth, serve faithfully, lead ministries, attend meetings and keep doing all the right things, while our affection for him slowly grows cold.
Jesus then warns them that if they do not repent, he will “remove your lampstand from its place.”
Revelation 1:20 tells us plainly that the lampstands represent the churches.
In the ancient world, a lampstand existed to hold up a lamp so that its light could be seen. The lampstand was never the point. Its purpose was to carry the light.
The church exists to carry and display the light of Jesus.
So perhaps awakening does not begin with doing more.
Ephesus was already doing plenty.
Awakening begins with remembering, repenting and returning.
Returning to simple devotion.
Returning to his presence.
Returning to our first love.
Video
Prayer
Jesus, awaken our hearts again. Forgive us for the times we have become so busy doing things for you that we have neglected simply being with you. Bring us back to our first love. Restore simple devotion, fresh affection and hunger for your presence. Let your Church shine brightly again — not through striving, but through lives deeply in love with you. Amen.
Author Bio
John Faull is married to Naomi and father to three daughters. He serves as Director of YWAM Sunshine Coast and National Director of The Send Australia.
Prayer Points for October 2026
We are praying for the Church to:
- Awaken to her first love for Jesus (Ephesians 5:14; Revelation 2:4).
- Awaken to evangelism so that millions will trust in Christ (John 3:16; Proverbs 11:30).
- Awaken to her prophetic voice to the nation (Isaiah 52:1; Matthew 14:4).
We invite you to support this campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to faith in Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.
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