Chapter two of Revelation John is relating what Jesus tells him to write to the church at Ephesus. Rev. 2:1b – 3 – “These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” Reading these verses would make us believe this church is doing very well compared to the other churches that Christ is critiquing.

The church is being commended for its good works and they had a magnificent program. It was very busy and had plenty of activities. Sin was not tolerated. History tells us that those who professed to be believers but lived the way of the world were excommunicated. The Ephesians would not have accepted sexual immorality for a minute. Then John goes on with Rev. 2:4 – 5 – “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

It appears the Ephesians had become very judgmental and legalistic. They were more concerned how a person lived than showing love for others. Originally they had loved God and they had love for others. But they had completely fallen from the love they initially had. Love must come first. A believer living without love for Christ and others is not living as a true Christian. These Ephesians had become backsliders.

Lamp stands in the temple were used to give light to the priest. Lamp stands were also a symbol for the seven churches established to provide truth or light as taught by Christ. He is not talking to churches but people making up the church. Christ is saying He will remove the light which means that you will stop being an effective church or Christian. Christ will extinguish any light that does not serve its purpose. Those in the church had to repent of their sins to remain truthful to Christ. To be blunt, they had fallen out of love with Christ and others. Their love had grown cold.

An illustration may be best described as a couple falling in love and marrying. Later they fall out of love and get a divorce. They once had a love that could be described, at the beginning, as unconditional. It then changes into a self-centered, selfish love. You are no longer meeting my needs. I deserve more and I can do better on my own. I wrote in a blog: “The love that holds marriages together – forever”, I described how our love for each other increased and we grew closer. However, our love for God had increased as well. The greater our love for God became, the closer our relationship improved.

We may interpret this Scripture concerning only the church but, we, as individuals, are the church. I believe Christ is telling us that if we lose our love our Christian witness becomes insignificant. If our love has faded we need to reignite our relationship with Christ. If we don’t repent and change we will lose the light as Christians. So how do we in this fast pace society with all of its pressures and demands live according to the requirements of God? How do we live a holy life? It requires discipline. Does that mean we must work our way to heaven? 1 Timothy 4:7 – 8 – “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” Becoming disciplined spiritually is not working our way to heaven. But we must continually train ourselves to be godly. Becoming godly and obedient doesn’t just happen. It takes self-discipline!

Having been a high school coach I learned the best athletes have a real passion for the game. They love playing and competing. The more they loved the game the more willing they were to physically discipline themselves. So what kind of a Christian do you want to be? Do you just want to play the game or are you willing to put in endless hours in preparation? Doug Lee, co-author, tells that he used to shoot 500 baskets a day six days a week as a pro. How good of a Christian can we be if we only go to church on Sunday and have no time for preparation? WARNING! If we are like one of those Christ was criticizing, He says He will come and take away our light.

Romans 8:9 – 12 – “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (NLT) Chapters 8 and 9 of Romans are very special to me. They explain why we all face temptations. Scripture says “For what I want to do, I do not do but what I hate I do.” (7:15)

I am not sure how Satan and his demons work but some way they are trying to keep Christians from succeeding. If every Christian lived a life far superior to non-believers most everyone would want to become a Christian. As Satan deceived Eve he is trying to do the same to every one of us. How does Satan’s follower deceive us? By making us think negative thoughts. Such as: I don’t have the ability to do that. He limits our vision and spreads fear among us. Or, if we did something different we could fail. Probably fear is the greatest of all handicaps.

Workplace fear is not the same as physical fear. Workplace fear can be defined as fear of failing and/or fear of the unknown. I have known a number of men and women who settled into jobs they hated; not only were they bored, but also they endured verbal abuse and humiliation. Even so, the thought of quitting terrified them. On the one hand, they stayed put because they were afraid of the unknown—new job, new coworkers and new bosses. But on the other hand, they refused to take a more challenging position because they were afraid of failing.

Workplace fear is not the same as physical fear. Fear in the workplace hampers people and quite often they are unaware of it. I have worked with some of the most physically imposing people I have ever met. They have no physical fear and enjoy hobbies like skydiving, hang gliding and rock climbing. They thrive on facing the danger inherent in those activities. Yet strangely enough, in the workplace they are paralyzed by fear—fear to take the initiative and accomplish a needed task that’s beyond their job descriptions, fear to accept promotions and fear to stretch out of their comfort zone.

Other people enter the workplace in jobs well below their capabilities because they are afraid of failing. Still others were willing to take risks at the beginning of their careers, but after enjoying some limited success they became frozen in place. I have know a few people who appeared to be suffering from workplace fear, when in fact unhealthy pride was rearing its ugly head. They wouldn’t take risks not because they were afraid of failing but to avoid the humiliation of not succeeding. They believed it was more acceptable for them to stagnate in the middle of the pack than to reach for something and miss.

Do we really believe what the above Scripture is saying? The Spirit of God lives in us and we are controlled by God’s Spirit. His Spirit living within us will give us spiritual life over spiritual death. God made the Jews His chosen people and history has confirmed it. Because of Christ He now adopts believers into His family. Do we see ourselves as God sees us? If most did we would see Christians with more positive, trusting attitudes. Doesn’t God want what is best for each of His children? Then why are we not more confident unless we really do not trust God? Develop a vision as to what you think God would want you to be or do. Then allow the Holy Spirit to take away all fear that would prohibit you from succeeding.

It may be improbable for some, at their present age or financial situation, to get a college degree. Furthering my education made me realize that there are not a whole lot of geniuses out there. Success is a result of attitude, persistence, passion and hard work. And the Holy Spirit is there to help every second of the day. Trust Him and give Him control! Don’t let fear defeat you.

When I got into management I was encouraged to read self-help books. Along with studying my Bible I read a number of books that guaranteed to make you successful. It was surprising how much material seemed to be taken from Scripture. Then there was information that contradicted the Bible. Philippians 2:3 – 4 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of us should look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This verse was just the opposite of what the books were teaching, such as “nice guys finish last.” Then there is “the shortcut to riches”. Think and grow rich! The magic of thinking big. And invest on margin by using other people’s money.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:21 – “For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” The use of “everyone” indicates that we as humans struggle with focusing on Jesus. We would rather be concerned about our own self-interests and needs than on Christ or others.

I have known a number of individuals who were power hungry and their position meant everything to them. They used that position to impress others in order to get what they wanted. There were times when people would ask where I worked and what did I do. I would reply by saying I was a store manager at Montgomery Ward. Often they would ask what department? I would state the entire store. Some would be impressed. When I became a financial advisor and people asked what I did for a living, I would tell them. I quickly learned how used car salesmen must feel when they tell others what their job is. It is actually very sad that we place a person’s importance by the position they hold.

What seems to make some Christians different? They have a servant’s heart. In our book we tried to point out some of the advantages of being a Christian.

We learn very rapidly that there can be a tremendous difference between bosses and leaders. I am referring to anyone who directs operations, determines strategies and/or supervise people. This could fit a number of people. What I have learned is there is a difference in what a person does and how they do it. In short, bosses boss and leaders lead. Bosses issue commands and demand unquestioning obedience from workers. They are not inclined toward explanations. They simply tell people what to do.

Leaders also issue commands. But they seek cooperation. Leaders encourage questions and suggestions. They explain goals and strategies for achieving the task and coach workers along the way. We might define the difference between bosses and a leader as the difference between forced labor and teamwork. The essence of leadership is industriousness and humility. Leadership also requires a mixture of natural talent, acquired skills, practice and hard work. To me, Jesus was the perfect example to follow. He selected His team, worked closely with them, teaching and training them and when they were ready; He sent them out in twos and gave them authority over evil spirits for a “pregame” scrimmage.

Christians do not receive special breaks from the laws of nature or the rough and tumble workplace. We will be hit with typical workplace problems. What we do have is a spiritual advantage that overcomes anything life or business can throw at us. Those who believe and trust in God’s power gain greater endurance, self-control, peace, joy, passion and the ability to stay calm under crisis and even come out on top.

Ask yourself who will be most impressed with their position: the boss or the leader? George Washington was a true leader. He didn’t order his men to fight. He led them. He didn’t do what was best for George but what was best for America. He was asked to become a king and he turned it down in favor of a republic. History doesn’t indicate that Washington allowed his positions to determine who he was and neither should we.

The one person having the greatest position of all was Jesus. Christ was the Son of God with unlimited powers over the universe. There was absolutely nothing that He could not have had. With a position unparallel, He was the most humble person with a servant’s heart. He came that we might know God, to redeem us from our sins and to adopt us into God’s family. So how important a person’s job or position in life is should not matter. What does matter is that we are God’s children and are willing to be a servant for Him and others.