2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ~ Revelation 2:2-5
God has set two choices before each of us. One choice is life everlasting with Him; the other is death everlasting without Him. What we do on this earth determines what we choose. When we choose God and the things of God, we are spiritually saying that we want to spend eternity with Him in a place of peace, joy, and blissfulness.
In eternity with God, there will be no more tears, for God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. No more dying there. Neither shall there be any more mourning, nor crying, nor pain for the former things have passed away.
The city, the New Jerusalem, is so beautiful that the foundations of the walls of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel, while the wall itself is built out of jasper. The city itself is pure gold, like clear glass. The streets also are made of pure gold, so pure that it looks transparent. The twelve gates each are fashioned out of one single pearl.
The other choice is quite the opposite. The Bible describes it as a place of eternal destruction away from the presence of God. A place where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. A fiery lake of burning sulfur. An Eternal fire. A place of outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. A furnace of fire where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. A lake of fire and brimstone, where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. These things all await those who become discouraged and give up.
So, what is the solution? The solution is simple. We need to get back to the basics. We need to practice self-denial. We need to get excited about the things of God again. We need to believe the promises of God again. The Scripture says we must return to our first love.
Jesus is counseling us to repent and be zealous for Him because He will soon be back for us. For when we think we are doing so much and doing so good, we are literally wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked when we are just going through the motions.
He is saying, “Get back to the basics of life, my children.” Get back to putting me first because nothing else matters in all the whole world. No profit, no success, no amounts of money will be able to purchase eternal life apart from Jesus and His salvation.
Even though there seems to be no hope, even though all the sky is gray and life seems hopeless, there is still always hope as long as we have breath, we have hope. Hope is lost when we put our hope in the wrong thing or the wrong person, and that’s usually when we take our eyes off of the true hope. Jesus!
LORD God, help us to choose you over the desires of our flesh and call of the world. Teach us Your perfect ways. Open our eyes to the deceit of the enemy and cover us in Your pure, redeeming blood. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
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