"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 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. 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." Revelation 2:8–10 I had the privilege of meeting a missionary who had served God faithfully for fifty years. He labored in Lebanon, starting a Baptist church, until he and his wife were kidnapped and held hostage for a period of time before being released and having to leave the country. Rather than abandoning the ministry, they began a new work with the Lebanese people living in Australia. Why did they serve the Lord so long through so many difficulties and dangers? Because they realized that their lives were not their own. Vance Havner said, “What our Lord said about cross-bearing and obedience is not in fine type. It is in bold print on the face of the contract.” We are not promised that our lives will be easy or that things will go according to our plans. We are promised that God will always be with us and work to make all of the things that happen in our lives produce good. When we trust Him to do what He has promised, it gives us the strength to endure the challenges and trials we face. The rewards that come from faithfulness are not primarily in this life but in the next. We can be confident that God is in control and that one day He will reward our work for Him.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 16:53:16 +0000
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