November 21, 2016

Revelation 2:10b Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

The “b” simply means that this is the second half of the verse. The speaker is “someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest,” a vision of the glorified Christ described in the first chapter verse thirteen. It’s really nothing new though, as Jesus is recorded as saying something similar in his teaching while on earth: “ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35). Now, I’m not excited about the prospect of dying- it seems unnatural- but I know I will someday. You will too. We cannot hold on to our physical life indefinitely, we can only decide how and to whom we will give it. Life slips away from us at the rate of 60 seconds each minute, 60 minutes each hour and there is not a thing we can do to stop it. We were made to give this life away to the one who gave it to us in the first place- God. We can do this because God gave up his life in Jesus. It’s all very circular this living and giving up in order to get yet more. As you think of all for which you are thankful this Thursday ask also for whom you are living and for what you are willing to die.