Revelation 3:7-22 - Held Up and Held Close

In a Times Square, NY subway station

Have you ever pictured Jesus as a graffiti artist? I was surfing the 'net images of pillars painted with street art and the work is amazing. Then I came across the one above. Nothing like the spray can Picassos that surely must have taken days to produce. This artist was done in about 37 seconds. And unlike the other municipal masterpieces, this one got me thinking about the Lord and Revelation. Today's verses include the last two letters Jesus dictated to John, one for the church at Philadelphia and one for the folks at Laodicea. I think we can use the pillar motif to tie the two together. 

The Philadelphian letter is unique among the seven, because Jesus doesn't identify any sin in this church. He says that they have "little strength" and probably this means strength of numbers or of social influence. These would not be moral or spiritual shortcomings, so this church stands alone as the one Christ does not have to rebuke. They have actually shown their strength of character in persevering in the faith. Jesus says He will make their enemies bow down to them (Jesus is going to flex HIS strength on their behalf!) and make the enemy acknowledge that God loves the Philadelphians. If this little church continues to overcome and hold up under trial, Jesus is going to install them as pillars in the eternal temple of God! And He will write on them. I wonder if He will use spray paint, or a Sharpie marker? Maybe they'll look like the pillar at the Times Square train station. 

The Laodicean letter stands in stark contrast to the former. Jesus rebukes them; calls them to repent. He attempts to shake them out of their blindness, their denial. "you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" "I am about to spit you out of my mouth" Whoa! Jesus means business. How did this community of believers get so far from what they ought to be. Yes - FAR is the answer. Jesus calls them lukewarm. The city of Laodicea was famous for a lot of cool stuff, but they were also known for their lousy water. It was famously lukewarm. The pillars of Laodicea were the ones that held up the aqueduct, and man was that ever a long aqueduct. By the time the water ran down from a remote southern source, it was wretched. Nauseating. 

Being far from the source is the key to comprehension here. The Laodiceans had gotten into their self-deceived, adverse position with Christ because they had wandered off. They were far from intimate with their God. They did not hold Him near. Perhaps they would hold up under His discipline. It was a loving discipline. "I'm knocking at your door. Let Me in and we'll dine together!" "If you'll repent and overcome, I'll sit you on my throne beside Me." 

Are you of little 'strength' in this world, but mighty in Christian character? Then you are a pillar of the Lord. Are you self-sufficient, self-satisfied and so, have wandered away from God? Pride and possessions can insulate us from intimacy with Him if we're not careful. 

One appeared weak, but they were wonderful. The other appeared powerful, but they were pitiful. Christ saw them aright, and named them accurately. I think I'll let Jesus label me; with Krylon, Sharpie, whatever ...

Pray: Hold me up and hold me close, Lord. I don't want to get discouraged in the fight of faith, and I don't want to get self-deceived that I'm all that in You. help me to estimate myself accurately. I want to be an overcomer.

September 11 - 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 - Delighting in Difficulty

David Copperfield is the most successful magician of all-time. Forbes magazine puts his total earnings at about a billion dollars. He has had his own television specials at least fifteen times, and I imagine that is especially hard to sustain for an illusionist – because every year the trick has to better than last year’s trick. The illusion that stands out most to me, and mostly because it occurred the night before our first child was born, is the vanishing Statue of Liberty. Do you remember that? April 8, 1983. Watch …

 

I am sure that magicians feed off the challenge of the difficulty proposed by their illusions. How difficult would it be to actually move the Statue of Liberty off its pedestal and then put it back? Copperfield delighted in the difficulty.

The apostle Paul writes those same words to the Corinthians. “I delight in … difficulties.” He also delights in weakness, insults, hardship and persecution. But, this is different from the challenges of the master illusionist. The magician can anticipate the challenge, measure it and practice for it. In fact, most of the difficulty is manufactured. It is not so hard as it is made to look hard. Paul is saying, ‘I actually delight in the things that reveal my inadequacies,’ not the things that show my astonishing mastery. In fact, God had built into Paul a difficulty that he could never master; the thorn in his flesh. But Paul was glad for it and for all the difficulties of his life and missional work.

Paul’s difficulties helped him to accomplish four things – He says:

            It keeps people from thinking too highly of me. (They must revel in the astonishing Master. The One crucified yet alive forever more!)

            It keeps me from thinking too highly of myself. (How I would hate to have pride take over and become as one of the ‘super-apostles;’ pseudo-apostles is more like it.)

            It keeps me dependent on God’s grace. (I find Him to be faithful, caring, and unpredictably blessed in the most trying times of life.)

            It keeps me in a position of effectiveness by humbly making room for the power of Christ. (“When I am weak, then I am strong” is not a contradiction, it is a ‘cause and effect.’ When I'm honest and transparent about my inadequacies, I yield to the Lord and He supplies His utterly adequate strength!)

I don’t know what kind of difficulty you are wrestling with; perhaps you feel like the Statue of Liberty has been knocked down on top of you. But do not fear; the Lord loves you. He knows you are too weak for it. Be humble. Cry out for His aid. His grace and power are sufficient for you.

Pray: Unconquerable Christ, I put my trust in You. I know I have prayed for You to make me like you, but sometimes I forget that you suffered and so must I. Keep me near You, believing You and expecting that You will work all things together for my good. I am one of your called. I love You.