(Nuggets from Revelation 3:4)
Irrespective of the pollution and moral decadence in the world, God still has faithful remnants like the few saints in the church in Sardis, who kept themselves UNDEFILED and PURE, free from the quagmire of sin and every form of filthiness.
The evaluation of the church at Sardis focused on their deeds. In contrast to some of the other churches in Asia Minor, what they are doing doesn't look sinful. In fact, it looked so good from the outside that Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but God doesn't view from human perspective and as a result, doesn’t evaluate things the way we do, as He told His prophet Samuel, when he was about to anoint the new king of Israel from the house if Jesse after being deceived by the appearance and build of Eliab.
The diagnosis revealed that in God’s eyes the deeds of the church at Sardis were “unfinished” (the Greek says “not full”). What was God looking for? Well, as He told Samuel, He was looking at their hearts.
1st Corinthians 13 reminds us that from God’s point of view, even the most extraordinary spiritual gifts and impressive sacrifices are empty and worthless without Love. Jesus' letter to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 highlights the priority of our love for God. The scripture teaches us that AUTHENTIC LOVE for God expresses itself in Obedience to God's instructions and Love for others as much as we love ourselves.
As you meditate on what each of these means through the lens of the Scriptures, ask God to show you what your deeds are full of.
OBEDIENCE to God or selfishness by prioritizing love for yourself alone?
Love for God?
God takes notice of the minutest number of those who abide with Him, and they are so PRECIOUS in His sight.
There were many people indicted in the church at Sardis who all heard the same word of God with the few names who were UNDEFILED, just the same way everyone in any local church assembly has equal access to the word of God.
What matters is what you do with the word you hear, not the actual RELIGIOUS DISPLAY of being PHYSICALLY PRESENT in every church service but always ABSENT and ESTRANGED to God with no traces of your name in the Lamb's book of life.
The few names in Sardis who chose not to mingle and play religion did not allow the pressure from within to dissuade them, neither did they allow religion pose a threat to their relationship with God.
Jesus made a very gracious promise to these faithful ones in Sardis, and by extension, He is making a promise to everyone who has DARED TO LIVE HOLY LIFE IN THIS POLLUTED WORLD irrespective of the corruption and decadence, that they shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy; showing the justification, honor and glory the SAINTS will experience in ETERNITY.
This is such a worthy honor, a reward for INTEGRITY, FIDELITY and LOYALTY to Christ.
This is a challenge to everyone who has identified with Jesus Christ to be intentional about your ETERNITY GOALS because who walk with Christ in the clean WHITE GARMENTS of REAL PRACTICAL HOLINESS here in this world, who vow to keep themselves UNSPOTTED from the WORLD, shall walk with Christ in the WHITE ROBES of HONOR and GLORY at the end of time, reigning with Him forever, world without end.
This is HOLINESS CHALLENGE
DAY 362 OF 365🔥
📹 UNDEFILED GARMENTS
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