In the last days, people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. 2 Tim. 3:1-4
“I have this against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first.” Rev.2:4
Lord Jesus, what a sobering passage for us to marinate in—no matter our time zone or postal code. According to Paul, the one most accurate description of fallen humanity is misplaced love. “Lovers of themselves, money, pleasure; not lovers of the good, without love…”—how indicting and convicting.
Yet, how inviting and focusing the last phrase is: “rather than lovers of God.” Jesus, wherever you’ve placed us as your Bride-in-waiting, we’re called to love you with everything we have and are. We love because you first loved us—by your life, death, and resurrection.
Refuel, revive, restore our “first-love” for you, and each other. (Rev. 2:4). Nothing else matters more right now. Recapture and enrapture us with your beauty and love. What do we love more, or other, than you, Jesus?
Free us to love well in the coming “last days”—Friends who voted opposite us. Neighbors having no clue about you. People who love everything but you. Those we’ve made our enemies, and those who consider us their enemy. Love never fails. So very Amen we pray, in your holy and peerless name.
