21 To the one who OVERCOMES, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I OVERCAME and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 3
The Lord didn’t have any good to say to the Laodicean Church, their greatest weakness was that they had become lukewarm and He disliked this intensely. This is especially important to Believers who have been involved in church life for a longer period of time, we must guard against becoming stale. In all seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3, the Lord issues the same challenge, ‘To the one who OVERCOMES’! While we are on this earth, in the Presence of Sin, we must CONTEND FOR OUR FAITH!
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. Revelation 3
Even to the exemplary church in Philadelphia, the Lord instructed them to, ‘Hold on so that no one, (man or devil), would steal their crown. This is a real battle with much at stake for every one of us. We cannot afford to lower our Guard, hence Jesus’ parables to watch and pray.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3
Hebrews 12:11 tells us that, ‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but later it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it’. The Lord tells the Laodiceans to pay attention to His Voice and His Discipline. If they’re willing to open themselves to Him then He will be able to help them, but He’ll never force His will on anyone.
Johnny Enlow gave a good example of this in his talk on the churches in Revelation. (Elijahstreams 3 March 2025) He said we are all running a race and there will be hurdles along the way that we have to come over or overcome. Those who can hurdle well will go forward with the Lord, but those who hit the hurdles will experience pain. A couple of the hurdles he mentioned were unforgiveness and disappointment. Some people drop out of the race completely because of these two things, but the challenge for everyone is to get over the hurdle, without the pain and continue to run our race. We all need to accept the Lord’s discipline and correction to do this properly. Don’t drop out of your race, there’s a crown for you if you continue to the finish line.
May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.