Title [2006.1.8] You Are Really Rich
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(Rev: 2:8-11 )
We usually refer to people who have a lot of wealth. People with nice houses and nice cars are called wealthy. Conversely, poor people are talking about poor houses and people living in difficult households. But the Lord has a different definition of the rich.
First, we can be saved when we have faith that the Lord knows our suffering. The chapel church was a good church with spiritual leaders and a wealthy environment, but it wasn't really a rich church because the Lord had lost his first love. Conversely, the Smyrna Church was difficult on the outside, but in reality it was a wealthy church. The Smyrna church was suffering three kinds of suffering. They were suffering from tribulation, poverty, and the Jewish people. These hardships are the hardships we face in life. However, the Smyrna Church kept its faith until the end despite these difficulties. I believed that the Lord would know my difficult problems. Even in the midst of tribulation and suffering, they did not give up their faith and kept their faith until the end. I bless you that you are confident in your faith that the Lord understands my suffering.
Second, trust in the “Lord who does not change” even in the midst of suffering. We are disappointed to see how our relationships with people change from the first time. But the Lord never changes. The Lord, the first and the last, is always with us and loves us in an unchanging form. There are times in life when you are walking on a dark and clogged road, but even in the midst of it, the Lord is with you and the road will surely come to an end. Although life's problems are difficult, the members of Smyrna were convinced that these hardships would not last long. That's right. The tribulation is not long. If you are persevering in the midst of suffering, I pray that you have the confidence that God will grant you a place of glory.
Finally, I hope you believe in the Lord's reward after suffering.
To be faithful to death means to be faithful even to death and not to be afraid. He says that if you do that, you will be given the crown of life. Our eyes see a lot of negative things. But if you look through the eyes of faith, you will find hope and positive things. May we hear the Lord of hope and His voice with our eyes and ears.
A person must die twice. First, the death of the body when breathing is cut off, and there are people who are not recorded in the book of life after that. Such a person falls into the eternal lake of fire. Even if the body dies, the eternal kingdom of God is in my heart. May you always live with hope. Our suffering is bitter, but when the time of suffering is over, the Lord gives us a wonderful reward. Paul says, “The sufferings of the present cannot be compared with the marvelous glory of the Lord to come.” I pray that you will become a person recognized by the Lord as truly wealthy by relying on the Lord's word that I will neither forsake you nor leave you.