The churches of Ephesus were established and nurtured, and did great things for Jesus. Years later, John sends a message to those churches praising them, and also correcting them to restore the love that they had at first. They were working out of duty, and not the love of Jesus.

Our relationship with Christ, and our love for Him are more important than anything else. Without love for Jesus, being the motivation behind everything we do, we are useless and ineffective as believers. We gain nothing by serving Jesus out of duty and obligation rather than love.

Is your love for Jesus and your relationship with Him the motivation behind everything you do and why you serve Him, or are you just going through the motions? We are to love God first.