When Roses Fade (Rev 2.4)

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2.4, NKJV)

The year was 1978. I had landed my first job as a disc jockey at KROI-FM in Sacramento. Topping the Billboard charts was a duet with superstars Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.

You don’t bring me flowers
You don’t sing me love songs
You hardly talk to me anymore
When you come thru the door
At the end of the day

It’s the sad story of two lovers who go through the motions while the love has faded. The song had immediate universal appeal. We can all relate to love that has languished. The deepest heartbreak comes from those you love the most.

There is something quite tragic in our Lord’s love letter to the Ephesians. This church was on target in many ways. But they lacked one thing…

Isn’t it somewhat hard for us to think of our Lord as being our Lover? We think of Him as God; we worship Him as Savior and Redeemer; we respect His right to tell us what to do. But do we really comprehend what it means to be the Bride of Christ?

My heart has been broken on multiple occasions by people I have loved. Before they go out the door there are telltale signs. The atmosphere chills; conversation is curt and tense; it feels that something has wormed its way between us. Jesus saw these signs in His Bride. They were still cooking Him dinner, still changing the kid’s diapers, still doing the laundry, but the passion for Him had waned. Jesus knew that unless things changed, their affections and favors would be given to another. Indeed it was already happening in their hearts. In broken-hearted agony He sought to woo her back to the love she once had–when service was not out of duty but a delight; when lover’s words flowed freely from her lips; when she couldn’t wait to hear His voice at the end of the day.

Can love that is forsaken be restored? There was still hope, but she hadn’t a moment to spare…