December 24th
Today's Bible Reading
Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. -
Faithfulness is not something to be pursued at any cost in this modern age. It is just too difficult for most people. For others they don't see the use. The desire to remain faithful even to death seems out of step with the culture: I mean nothing last forever. Relationships drift apart, marriages fail, jobs change, passions subside, and people evolve. Oh we jump on the bandwagon at first, but when the wheels get stuck in the mud or the journey seems unbearably long, we jump ship.
Seldom in the spiritual realm do people stick it out or remain faithful to Christ. When the situation gets stressful or the days get difficult, they bail. We want immediate sanctification but don’t get it. Our faith, when tested, often flitters away like a butterfly looking for a better flower.
Here struggling saints are encouraged to not fear, but be faithful. They were made privy to the satanic source of their difficulty. They were informed of the duration of their testing. They were even made cognizant of the promised crown of life that they would receive at the conclusion of their testing. We often are not given such insight. This knowledge gave them strength and stamina to remain true through their test.
“Until death” seems like an unending marathon and we want a sprint, but the presence that runs with us and the prize, “the crown of life”, that lies before us, compels us to push forward. Paul said it well from his prison cell, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”(Phil 3:14). We didn’t come to Christ only to cave at the first sign of crisis. We must be in it for the long haul. We must be faithful unto death.
Today we must ask the Lord to help us to persist and to continue to push forward to prize. We must plead with Him to keep our eyes on the prize, our feet on the ground and our heart faithful. We must thank Him that He stands at the finish line holding the prize for the faithful. Let us be faithful unto death
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