“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” – Rev. 2:10

In this letter to the church at Smyrna our Lord speaks of the persecution and suffering they would encounter, and tells them “Fear none of those things“. Then He issues this charge, “be thou faithful unto death“. In other words, be faithful regardless of the circumstances, even if it results in death.

Thankfully our situation is different than theirs, but our obligation is the same. Regardless of the severity of the suffering, the difficulty of our duty, or the danger of death we are not dismissed from our duty. We are to remain faithful until the day we die even if doing so brought it to us. In good times, bad times, and the worst of times we are to be faithful, even if it leads to our death.

Is not that what we see in the case of our Lord Himself? Christ was faithful to the Father to the finish – although it was “unto death“. And it was for you that he died. In light of that let us remember what pether wrote, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps“.(1 Pet. 2:21). We are being put to the test and most folks are failing. They are more concerned about pleasure, protection, and provisions than they are about pleasing the Lord.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that sick people should leave their sick bed, rush off to church where they will infect others, just so they can say they were faithful in attendance. I’m saying that we ought not spend our lives running scared, dodging our duties, just because something bad might happen. You run a risk, so to speak, every time you leave your house. But that’s the price you pay for living. The bottom line is this – if we are physically able we ought to do as the Lord commands even if it results in death. No amount of verbal gymnastics can explain that away. Some might say it is unfair, unreasonable, and unwise, but they are wrong. We can and we should be faithful to the Lord regardless of the results.

Speaking of results, I want you to notice the precious promise given to those who obey. The Lord says, “I will give thee a crown of life“. Wow! That should serve as motivation for ministering. Looking ahead to our rich reward enables us to endure whatever we are forced to face, for the sake of remaining faithful. Just to hear our Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21) should be enough to encourage us to do as He commands. – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346 

“…. God is faithful….” – 1 Cor. 10:13

“And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” – Acts 8:2–4

Too many times, we allow opposition, trouble, persecution, and enmity to stop us from doing what God has called us to do. But that is always a choice. We can continue to do right and work for Him, no matter what is going on around us. The early church in Jerusalem faced harsh persecution, even to the point of death, for preaching about Jesus. When they were forced to flee for their lives, they continued to spread the gospel everywhere they went. We never have to stop doing what is right, no matter how difficult circumstances may become.

Though George Liele was born into slavery in Georgia in 1750, he believed God had called him into ministry. His master, Henry Sharpe, gave George his freedom so that he could begin traveling and preaching across the South. But when Sharpe was killed during the Revolutionary War, his descendants tried to re-enslave Liele, and he was put back in jail for a time. After defending his right to freedom, Liele and his family moved to Jamaica. His powerful preaching there sparked opposition, and Liele was again thrown in jail. Undeterred by the persecution, he continued preaching on his release. By the time Liele died, he had baptized hundreds of converts and built a strong church in Jamaica.

There are often hardships in life because the devil is actively working to discourage and defeat those who are working for God. We can feel sorry for ourselves and quit, or, like Stephen and like George Liele, we can continue to do what is right, trusting God for the outcome. The fact that there is trouble and opposition to us serving God does not require us to give up—we can keep going strong. (Daily in the Word)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:23-25

If you have ever seen a video of lions hunting their prey in the wild, you have seen that while they may chase a herd of animals, they focus their attention on stragglers and strays—those who have gotten separated from the herd. These are the ones who are taken in the hunt. Any individual animal in the group is no match for a lion, but it finds that there is safety in numbers.

God never intended for His children to be isolated and alone. When Jesus sent the disciples out to begin preaching on their own, He sent them in pairs. When Elijah was depressed and discouraged, God gave him Elisha to join him in the ministry. When God commanded the early church to send out missionaries, they sent Paul and Barnabas together. There is enormous safety and encouragement in knowing that we are not alone.

We live in a culture that glorifies individualism. One of the most popular songs of the last century is called “I Did it My Way.” Satan is delighted when he can convince us to strike out on our own, leaving behind our spiritual family in the church. He knows that an isolated Christian is an easy target. There is truly safety in numbers. The giant redwood trees of California soar hundreds of feet into the air, but their roots are strong. The strength of a redwood’s roots is found in other redwoods. Instead of going deep underground, they spread sideways and entwine with the roots of other redwood trees so that they hold each other up. That is God’s pattern for us. Be regular in your attendance in church and in fellowship with God’s people—it guards you from all kinds of trouble. – Daily in the Word

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” – I Samuel 7:12

If you are determined to dwell on the past, always looking in the rear view mirror and pouting about your problems, may I make a suggestion? Be selective on what you think about. Rather than focusing on the bad, choose to think about the good. The following is a great example of what I’m talking about from the late Vance Havner.

It was on this date one year ago that my wife faced serious surgery scheduled for next morning. We opened our daily devotional reading for that evening and found it headed “Ebenezer…Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” We encouraged ourselves in the Lord our God as did David of old, confident that the same grace which had brought us safe “thus far” would be sufficient from there on. The God of the Hitherto is the God of the Henceforth!

The backward look is a good look if we review the path already trod to raise our Ebenezer and sing, “Hither by Thy help I’m come.” This is the way to check with the past in order to cope with the future. The faithfulness of God will stand our inventory any time. We shall find that “there failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken…all came to pass.”

And be sure to give God credit. Don’t call it your wits or luck or fortune. Let your testimony be, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” Some have reversed Ebenezer to read, “Hitherto have I helped the Lord.” “Tell how great things the Lord hath done for thee.”

Recounting the blessings of God will give us reason to rejoice. And that pleases God, and makes life more pleasing to us. The song writer said it well – “Count your many blessings. Name them one by one”. – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346