7 Churches of RevelationSample

Following Jesus isn’t comfortable, but it’s worth it

Devotional:

In Revelation 3:1-6 Jesus, through John, addresses the church in Sardis. The church in Sardis was known as the “dead church.” They had a reputation for being alive, but they were living in their former glory and they were considered dead.

No specific sin issue is mentioned regarding the church in Sardis. No doctrinal issues, no persecution, nor any conflict. They simply existed and because they were comfortable as a church, they had become ineffective and had essentially fallen asleep in their faith. If we are not careful, the same can be true of us.

While none of us desire hardships to come our way, when life is going great is when we are most vulnerable to slipping into an apathetic faith. We can wrongly believe we don’t need God and we can do whatever we want and control everything in our lives.

The church in Sardis was in a spiritual coma. They were being called to pursue Christ and repent of their sin. In fact, sin is such a big deal that in Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus gives a deliberate overstatement of how to fight sin to show how important it is to do.

What we see here is that following Jesus isn’t comfortable. It requires denying our selfish and prideful ambitions. It means putting others before ourselves in response to how Christ treated us. Following Jesus can be difficult at times.

But while it isn’t comfortable, it is more than worth it. Receiving the grace of God and taking part in his future Kingdom will make following Jesus the greatest decision we could ever make in the end.

Today’s challenge:

What is an area of your faith that you have become “comfortable” in? Pick one way you can be uncomfortable in your faith today? (For example: confessing a private sin to a friend, asking someone how you can pray for them, etc.)