Revelation 2:8-9
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
“My father died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!” Those words are from the Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. George said it to the richest man in town, Mr. Potter. It echoes the words of Jesus to the church in Smyrna, that riches and poverty can go hand in hand with Christ. Apparently, the faithfulness of the Christians in Smyrna led to some hardship in the marketplace and some lost their sources of income. Some of it may have been down to lies being told about them from the Jews in Smyrna. The phrase Jesus used against them had been used by the Jews against Christians. They were a synagogue of Satan.
Come to Cape Community Church tomorrow to see how these and other side effects of faithfulness can be felt in the church today. We may be asked by an employer to violate our Christian standards and our refusal may cost us our jobs. Someone may accuse us of a serious offence in order to smear the name of Jesus Christ. The time may be coming when we cannot be true to Christ and get ahead in the world. May we learn that our citizenship in heaven far outweighs the riches we can ever get on earth.
O Heavenly father, you are the source of great riches and we are heirs of your kingdom. May that be our motivation to remain faithful to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.