DON'T WASTE YOUR PAIN | Daily Devotion
8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”
Revelation 2:8-11 NLT
These personal letters from Jesus Christ to the pastor leading the church in the particular city are specific, showcasing Christ’s love for His church and for those whom He has called to lead and steward.
In each letter, Jesus addresses Himself according to His title of authority the church needed to be reminded of. For instance, to the church in Ephesus who left their first love – who left Jesus Christ – Jesus reminded them that He holds the pastors in his right hand and walks amidst the church with perfect knowledge. He knows how far they have fallen from Him.
Now to the church in Smyrna, a church hurting and in need of comfort and hope, Jesus addresses Himself as the First and the Last, the Old Testament form of Yahweh, their personal Lord and Savior– reminding them, He alone is mighty to save – Isaiah 41:4, and that there is no other god like Him – Isaiah 44:6. He alone holds power and He is love, thus, they have nothing to fear as Jesus loves them with perfect love, even when the circumstances appear to be severely negative. Jesus is the One who was dead, but is now alive—His resurrection power, gives everyone who is suffering the hope they need. Power over death and the grave.
Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” Jesus Christ is all you need! He is “the First and the Last, who died and is alive”—Revelation 2:8 NLT. He alone is God—John 10:30!
Friend, when the world is against you, He upholds you. He is your source of strength. He alone gives you the psychological strength that you need amidst suffering, and He provides it for you in His word.
As Jesus continues speaking to the church in Smyrna, He is speaking to Christians suffering at the hands of persecutors because of their faithful witness of Jesus Christ. They needed encouragement amidst affliction.
To this church, Jesus does not share one word of rebuke, only comfort.
And this, we Christians can take comfort in – Jesus knows His sheep—John 10:27. He doesn’t give us more than we can handle, and always provides a way of escape so that we can endure faithfully—1 Corinthians 10:13.
Jesus tells the church in Smyrna, “I know about your suffering and your poverty but you are rich,”—Revelation 2:9. Christian! Are you suffering? If you are, look up and see Jesus Christ because He is with you—Matthew 28:20. You are not alone. He has promised to never fail you nor abandon you – Hebrews 13:5.
Jesus says He sees the suffering and poverty in the church in Smyrna and yet commends them for their richness in faith; differentiating between the worldly standards of outward appearances and the heavenly standards of the heart and mind revealed in one’s faith.
Jesus goes on to tell the church that He knows about the evil spoken about them by those opposing them, and He goes on to say that they are hypocrites. They say they are Jews, however they are not true Jews who believe in God – they are pagan belonging to Satan, and are spiritually dead.
This is a comforting statement for any person who has endured false accusation and evil words spoken against them. Hypocrites tend to always cause issues for those who genuinely love God. However, Jesus Christ is El Roi, He sees everything and knows everything and He knows when the accusations are false and will come to your defense in His perfect timing. His defense does not always happen overnight, which is very difficult and stretches one’s faith and trust in God’s deliverance. The interim holds quite a bit of anxiety and maybe some depression, while enduring interpersonal issues with those who believe wrongly, which can lead to exhaustion.
But a beautiful truth is found in Proverbs 12:19, and it says, “Truth stands the test of time, lies are soon exposed.” The truth of the matter will be revealed, Satan does not have any power over the truth, innocence will be made known and the lie or liar will be exposed in God’s divine timing.
Years ago, I heard Jan Vance share a comforting, wise statement, “Take care of your relationship with God and He will take care of your reputation in the eyes of others.”
After stating His knowledge of their current suffering, Jesus continues to say, “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for 10 days.”—Revelation 2:10 NLT.
To any Christian, this statement is probably alarming. They are already suffering and there’s going to be more suffering? Even if Jesus specified the amount of days, and it’s a short amount of time. Why more suffering?
Many know this experience where the rain so to speak, just keeps falling and you wonder – when will I get a break? For a surfer, it’s like getting caught inside on repeat with set after set coming in. You only have enough time to grab a quick breath before you have to dive back under the massive wave before you’re annihilated. Sad truth, you cannot really do anything fun, but endure until it ends.
Question, would you want Jesus to give you an insight into your future suffering? Do you want to know or do you not want to know?
Personally, I believe it’s His love that warns. It helps Christians with focus. Jesus never gives Satan the upper hand on His people. Satan’s testing is to cause Christians to leave the faith, but Jesus’ love warns and gives a choice.
We all can cling to the promise that God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity but of power, love, and a sound mind—2 Timothy 1:7. God has given us power in the Holy Spirit to accomplish what we normally cannot do, His unending love to carry us through any situation, and the mind of Christ filled with His word to face what’s before us with the wisdom of God while not being overcome by trial and hardship.
If you are facing a type of persecution today or any hardship, you have a choice in how you handle it. You can choose to listen and obey Jesus, allowing Him alone to purify you with His perfect pure word – John 17:17, purging you of sin, revealing your authenticity as a Christian. Or you can choose to defy the living God who loves you, and walk away from the Christian faith because of what you are facing. A true Christian remains right with Jesus, rightly identifying the persecution taking place – listening to Jesus speak regarding what they are facing, clinging to Christ for the rescue. A Christian in name only, runs away—1 John 2:19. They can’t handle the heat. They are not grounded on the Rock—Matthew 7:24-27.
Friend, Jesus is calling out to you as He did to the church in Smyrna, “Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life”—Revelation 2:10 NLT. So, don’t give up! There is an end to this trial. Keep praying—Philippians 4:6-7, and keep obeying Jesus. He will reward you for this time unlike any other. You will receive the crown of life that goes to all who have suffered and to those who have resisted temptation and have persevered under trial and tribulation. There is a reward for your faithfulness and loyalty to the Lord! So, stay true to the Lord—Acts 11:23.
Jesus is praying for you—Hebrews 7:25.
Jesus ends this letter by stating whoever is victorious, thus whoever remains faithful to Jesus Christ regardless of Satan’s torments that seek to cause people to walk away from their personal relationship with Him, will not be harmed by the second death. They will not experience a spiritual death ending in hell but will experience eternal life in heaven.
Friend, this is a call to not waste your pain! Comfort others with the comfort God has given you—2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Your testimony has profound impact on those around you in your sphere of influence. People are watching you in your trial, as you bear up under the pressure, moving forward in faith. They see how your behavior far surpasses what a typical human is capable of. They see Jesus carrying you through! They see the Holy Spirit moving through you. They see God’s glory in your suffering. You are an example of God’s faithfulness. He loves you! Share your story.
Abba, thank You for Your timely warnings, may we all listen even more so to what Jesus is speaking, obeying Him without questioning. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
