“Do
not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed the
devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and
you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will
give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10 NKJV
Someone
once said, Where there is faith there is the Lord; where there is fear there
is the evil one. Too often our initial reaction to things outside of
our control is one of fear, of great concern. We are concerned for our loved
ones, we are concerned for our own financial well-being, and there is concern
for our neighbors. These seem to be trying and troubling times, but they
are no more or less so than during any other period in human history.
What makes everything seem worse than perhaps it really is, is our reaction to
the things around us. When we react angrily out of some sense of fear and
begin to slander those whom we believe responsible for our fears and concerns,
we fail to realize we are only playing “their” game … on their terms.
Our
Lord is offering comfort to the Church in Smyrna in terms of the persecutions
surely to come their way. Asking of the Church to be without “fear”,
however, is a tall order regardless of the culture or the generation.
Fear is a natural response to anything that is perceived as a threat to our way
of life; but real fear, paralyzing fear is that sure and certain absence of
faith. It is not the “enemy” that destroys us; it is the fear within us
that does us the most harm and serves only to separate us one from the other
until we find ourselves standing utterly alone.
The
Church is not what we do – it is who we are as the Body of Christ, disciples of
our beloved Lord. When we are steadfast in our faith and in our care for
one another, we testify to the community of the goodness and ultimate purpose
of the Church, the Body of Christ alive and well within us and about us.
Things are going to happen that we can have no control over because we cannot
control what other people do. We can, however, control our own responses
– and do so within the utmost assurance of our Lord that when we persevere to
the bitter end – together! - we will receive our very own “crown of
life”.
Hold
on to one another, and support one another within the Church. Reach out
to those who live in constant fear so that we may show them the more Excellent
Way, the Church, the Body of Christ – remembering it is not where we are on
Sunday mornings; it is who we are 24/7.
Blessings,
Michael
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