Revelation 2:12-17
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
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It's hard to be honest with ourselves. Some of us are tempted to focus entirely on the negative, forgetting that we have ever done anything worthwhile. Some of us choose to ignore the positive and focus only on the negative, thinking that God has surely forgotten about us years ago, having given up any attempt to convert us.
The more balanced opinion is reflected here--we've done some good, we've done some bad. We all need to turn back to Christ, to hand over particular sins and let his healing power wash over us. We also need to celebrate the good, to remember our faithful moments and let ourselves get caught up in Holy Spirit joy. God is good, and God is calling you to abundant life--that is life rich with joy, peace and wonder. Don't spend too much time beating yourself up and miss the joy. Don't get so caught up in celebrating yourself that you forget that you aren't perfect. Find the middle way, and cling to Christ, and go forward in boldness.
Blessings
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
*********************
It's hard to be honest with ourselves. Some of us are tempted to focus entirely on the negative, forgetting that we have ever done anything worthwhile. Some of us choose to ignore the positive and focus only on the negative, thinking that God has surely forgotten about us years ago, having given up any attempt to convert us.
The more balanced opinion is reflected here--we've done some good, we've done some bad. We all need to turn back to Christ, to hand over particular sins and let his healing power wash over us. We also need to celebrate the good, to remember our faithful moments and let ourselves get caught up in Holy Spirit joy. God is good, and God is calling you to abundant life--that is life rich with joy, peace and wonder. Don't spend too much time beating yourself up and miss the joy. Don't get so caught up in celebrating yourself that you forget that you aren't perfect. Find the middle way, and cling to Christ, and go forward in boldness.
Blessings