Rev. 2:18-29; Psalm 34:8-14

Rev. 2:18-29
Here is the message to the church in Thyatira. Jesus is here called the "Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze." This brings to my mind a picture of a fierce and powerful leader, and we will see that the Lord was very blunt and firm with this particular church. Like the others, He begins with praising them. He knew their deeds which were done with love and faith. They served the Lord without quitting, and they were even doing more now than they did at first. This tells me it's possible to serve the Lord and still have areas of our lives that don't please Him.

Actually, the Lord had quite a few criticisms of the church in Thyatira. They allowed an evil woman to teach false doctrine misleading people into sinful practices including sexual immorality. She was apparently encouraging the believers to compromise with the pagan practices of their city so they wouldn't be ostracized or lose their jobs or even even be killed. She had been warned to repent, but she did not, and now she would have to face judgement. Now Christ was encouraging her followers to repent or face the same judgement. This was to serve as a warning to all the churches. "Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." v. 23

In v. 24, Jesus encouraged those who had not compromised to "hold on to what you have until I come." Jesus' coming for the church was then and continues to be a source of great hope to faithful believers everywhere. He promises the faithful of Thyatira that they will rule over the nations, and they will be closely associated with Christ Himself--"the morning star."

If we have ears--which we do!--we must hear what the Spirit says to the churches!

Psalm 34:8-14
"Taste and see that the Lord is good;" v. 8  The psalmist is telling us to depend on God and then just watch and see what He will do.

"Fear the Lord, you his saints," v. 9  God expects us to reverence and respect Him. The psalmist gives us some practical advice about this in vv. 11-14.

"Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." v. 10  Sometimes circumstances in our lives do not seem like "good things," but we must continue to seek the Lord because He knows far better what is good for us than we ourselves do.

"Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." vv. 11-14 In case you're wondering about how to practice the fear of the Lord...

• keep your tongue from evil
• and your lips from speaking lies
• turn from evil
• do good
• seek peace and pursue it.

So there you have it. These may not be easy things to practice, but they are goals to strive for!