The message of John for us: Jesus knows our all and wants our all
By Dean Collins
The message of Jesus to the churches who first received John’s Revelation was, “I know your works.” As we read, we can imagine him saying the same to us.
He knows our toil.
He knows our patient endurance.
He knows our intolerance of evil.
He knows our poverty and tribulations.
He knows when we hold fast and abide and when we don’t.
He knows our reputation for living.
He knows when we are deceived and lifeless.
He knows our all-in moments and when we coast.
These are the warnings and calls for repentance John heard and saw in his revelation of Jesus. When we read the 22 chapters of his prophecy, we have trouble seeing and understanding everything John saw and wrote. But I expect these words of Jesus in the first three chapters are not that hard to understand. Jesus sees and knows both our hearts and minds, when we walk with him, and when we have wandered off with our own agenda and preferences.
Hearing his voice, answering his knock
The tap, tap, tap we hear during the Advent season may not be not the elves making toys for our children or grandchildren. Maybe it’s the sound of Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts. Today I noticed something obvious but often missed in this often-quoted verse in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
We do not open the door simply because we hear a knock. We open the door when we hear the voice of our Shepherd. Part of our struggle in life is because we have a tendency quickly to open the doors of our minds and hearts to voices of culture, voices that whisper their claims of wealth and comfort, but we fail to confirm if Jesus is speaking.
Jesus made it clear that we can recognize when it is him. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” In Revelation, we discover that Jesus didn’t change his approach after the ascension. His voice is still recognizable. But as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we must abide with him if we are to hear him.
Choosing our Lord, giving our all
Some in the churches mentioned in Revelation failed to listen and ignored or worse, believed that their works count more than their simple obedience and worship of our Savior and King.
We offer our lives, both words and deeds, as gifts to our King. He wants neither our opinions nor assistance in how his kingdom works and who is a part of it. He has already decided that. What he seeks from us this Christmas and every day is the gift of singular commitment to his lordship. Like the little drummer boy who heard the Savior and King was born and came to offer all he had to give, simply a song, Jesus wants our all. Nothing less is enough from us when we realize he is the one who changes everything.
Your time with God’s Son
Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1-3, 8, 15-16, 20-22 ESV
Photo by Dima Pechurin on Unsplash
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