Revelation 3:8

“I know that you have little strength yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

What a great complement!  Can this be said of us, of me?

The first part I can agree with easily because it is true, “You have little strength.”  The older I get, the more obvious it becomes.  I am surrounded by power of every kind, economic power, societal power, education power, physical power, political power, etc.  The promise of power allures us. The assumption is that all human beings seek power.  Not all humans admit that they are weak, though.  I have rarely heard a person in my secular culture even speak of his or her weakness, much less glory in that weakness.  I have heard it among the followers of Jesus, of course.  To admit that weakness is a virtue is not a tune popular with the general citizenry who rarely admit to being bereft of power.

The Holy Spirit empowers the weak, if the weak recognize their weakness and allow God to invade their weakness to be strong through that weakness.  The moment I feel strong in my own strength the Holy Spirit weeps because he can do nothing for me at all. He fills and leads the weak and struggling, not the satisfied successful.

Jesus assumes that we have at least one strength, a good strength, in fact an essential one. It is the strength to hold on!  That does take strength, believe me, and tenacity, patience and hope.

“Hold on to what you have,” Jesus says. Obviously he is referring to their early love for Jesus, their love for those around them, and their strong desire to do what Jesus wants them to do.  Instant obedience.

I love the Lord Jesus’ promise for those who “hold on” –  the “overcomers'” “I will write on him the name of my God.”  He belongs to none other than to God himself.  What a joy, what an eternal crown, what a name!

May that be my rest – and yours.