Skip to main content

I Know Your Work II


Open Heavens Daily Devotional 17th October, 2016

Memorise: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.
 (Revelation 2 : 29)

Read: Revelation 2:8-11
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

The Almighty Father knows all that we do, nothing we do is hidden from Him. This should make us rejoice because it means that our Master knows our works, ( assuming that our works are good) and He will appreciate and commend us for them.

In other words, even if people don’t appreciate us or if they misunderstood us, God never misunderstands. In Revelation 2 : 9, the Lord sent a message of goodwill to the Church in Smyrna : “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, ( but thou art rich ) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
There are beautiful things to note from the above scripture: Jesus knows about the tribulation we are passing through. Little wonder one of the saints of old wrote a hymn titled : “There’s not a Friend like the Lowly Jesus.”

The Chorus reads :
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!

Another interesting thing about today’s Bible reading is the courage that the Master gave to the Church in Smyrna. He said : “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer….be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Beloved, this is a message from Jesus, the Lover of your soul.

Before this time, in John 16 : 33, Jesus made a categorical statement void of ambiguity :
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus further assured us of the great reward of escaping the second death if we will strive to overcome ( Revelation 2 : 11 ). May the Lord help us to overcome in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point:
Father, strengthen my inner man so that I may stand strong till the very end.

Bible In One Year:
Hosea 1-5
Psalms 80:1-7

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dominion Mandate Daily Devotional February 26, 2016

THEME: RETREAT TO REFRESH READ: Matt. 11:25-30 When some musicians want to release great songs, they retreat to secluded places where they can reflect, meditate and create. Some choose places overlooking the vast oceans, some choose where there are waterfalls, and some choose places with thick forestations.  As they observe the beauty of nature, the swift moves and songs of the soaring birds, the colourful flowering vegetations, the serene beaches and the unending waves of the nearby waters, they capture inspiration that helps them develop the hit songs they have been longing for. I met one of the world’s renowned musicians in Atlanta, USA a few years ago where journalist surrounded him and were asking what he had come to do and why his beards had grown so much. He said that his last album did not perform well enough and he was incubating another one he wanted to release that would perform better. He said that he needed to pull away from the Noise of New York and California ...

A NEW MONTH OF DIVINE ANNOUNCEMENT

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Luke 1:13 The Bible is replete of records on how God announced some events before they finally happened. Because you made it into the new Month, God will specially announce you in Jesus name.  Whenever God want to do something unusual, He first of all announce it, for instance, when He wanted to delivered the children of Israelite from the hand of the philistine whom He has delivered them to, He sent an angel to break the new to the parent of the deliverer - Samson. Judges 13.  When God wanted to turn the hearts of men back to Himself, He sent angel Gabriel to announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father, Zacharias. Also when God was fully ready for the redemption of man, He first announced it to the one whose body His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ will pass through to the earth. Luke 1:26-38. That was the...

Marriage Booster: Do You Still Love Her/Him ?

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Ephesians 5:25 KJV "This is what I love about you" In the beginning you love everything about him. You are captivated by his six pack, his spirit of adventure, and his lion’s heart. In the beginning you love everything about her. You go crazy with the swing of her hips, a wink or a chewy chocolate cake baked especially for you. One day you wake up. Daily routine has shattered your rose-tinted glasses. “His six pack is not so hot anymore, instead his joints creak with every move.” Or: “It would be better if she swung her hips into a gym one of these days.” You realize: “My partner has changed.” Fortunately! He isn’t standing still. The problem is not the change but rather, that you are a creature of habit. It is your task to rediscover your partner and to simultaneously not forget why you went up the aisle with sparkling eyes to marry your bride/groom. MARRIAGE BOOSTER Write d...