He Reigns
Bible reading
7 ‘To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can open.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars – I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
– Revelation 3:7-13 NIVUK
Devotional
There was a game show when I was younger that I loved to watch. One of the games was choosing which door to open and which door to avoid. If you opened the right door you would get a prize. But if you opened the wrong door, well, you lost the game.
The church in Philadelphia also had a door, but theirs was being held open by Jesus himself! What kind of door do you suppose it was? I think there are two possibilities! First, I think Jesus holds open the door of salvation. The church in Philadelphia was a church full of hope, but also of trials and struggles. Still, they were making a difference. They had walked through the door of salvation and, with patient endurance were hoping the door would remain open for their friends and family to enter. Second, Jesus also holds open the door of opportunity. The Philadelphians had an opportunity to make a difference in their city, to call people into the Kingdom of God; and to stand firm for Jesus. This door would not be shut until Jesus shut it himself. So, with patient endurance, even though they were exhausted and persecuted, the church of Philadelphia, pressed on.
What door is Jesus holding open for you? Is it the door of salvation? Is He calling you to take the step to cross the threshold of that door and come into his kingdom, be a part of His family, to be loved, protected, and cherished by Jesus? Or maybe He’s holding open the door of opportunity for you and there’s something you want to try, a person you want to share the Gospel with, a family member who needs to meet Jesus.
Like the church in Philadelphia, we all need patient endurance to press on and press forward. We need to endure the pressure of our society, our work, and maybe even our own family and stand firm in Jesus. We need to look for the doors that Jesus holds open for us, and we need to walk through them, knowing that He is right beside us.
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.