April 28, 2018 Saturday

““I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” (Revelation 2:13 NKJV)

            God is always so blunt about things that we often miss the urgency and concern of God’s heart that is revealed.  In what is titled the Revelation of Jesus we are shown how becoming a Christian impacts our lives and rips off the glossy covering of sin and reveals the repulsive and destructive nature of it.

            In this passage twice we are shown the nature of the persecution of Christians is satanic and that Christians are at war with those who follow satan.  One of the important differences is Christians call martyrs those who die for their faith and those who follow satan call those who kill others for their faith martyrs.

            This is the incredible gap between children of the Light and the children of darkness.  For Christians should have this sense of the value of life because they know every person is not only loved by God but are potentially children of the Light!

            It is interesting how many times in this short verse God uses My.  My name, My faith and My faithful martyr helps us see that for us to stand a chance to survive this war between Light and dark we must trust and place our lives firmly in God.

            We not only cannot defeat satan without God’s power we cannot even survive!  If we in our arrogance go against the darkness alone we do not become martyrs but casualties of war or even worse fall into the darkness we are fighting!

            God gives us two ways to not only survive this war but to even conquer is to do all in the name of Jesus and to be exhorted by the examples of those who live out or die for their faith!

            Do you have God’s faith to trust in the power of Jesus?  Do you live and work in the name of God and for God rather than yourself?  Do you look at the lives of those faithful to God and use them as examples?  Will you survive the war between the Light of God and the darkness of satan? 

(You may notice I do not capitalize the name satan.  That is because the consequence of sin is to make you an unperson!  Though this is not a true word unperson is a good description of the corrupting power of sin in a life.  BUT EVEN IF THEY ARE UNPERSONS WE MUST TREAT THEM AS POTENTIALLY OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST!)

            I feel better this morning and have less pain.  I hope this means I will be able to go to worship at Asbury tomorrow. As Bonnie said it was a good day since I got a call from Rev Tom Underwood and Dave Daffron.  I thank God for the blessing of His people.   Jonathan came for lunch and stayed for awhile and we had an enjoyable visit.  Later started to wind down.

Though I usually use the Lectionary texts starting Monday my devotions but I believe this is a time when I should use the series I have used a couple of time entitled the Seven Deadly Questions.  I pray God will bless you through these questions and the deeper questions they lead you to.