10 May ESOCS Devotional
TEXT: REVELATION 3:1-6
MEMORY VERSE
“Remember, then what you were taught and what you heard; obey it and turn from your sins…” Revelation 3:3
The practice of talking to the Church to warn and direct God’s people to be continually on the part of the Lord has been the way of the Lord through His prophets at all ages. In ESOCS Church today, God does not fail to direct and warn the Church. In our text, we read that the Lord spoke through His Angel to Apostle John to warn the Church in Sardis. He said, “To angel of the Church in Sardis write; This is the message from the one who has the Seven Spirits of God and the Seven Stars…”
The Lord does not speak like human beings who accuse falsely or draw wrong conclusions. He speaks the truth to condemn our evil ways and extol our good works. God is Omniscient, nothing He does not know about us. In verse 1b of our text, we read, “I know what you are doing. I know that you have the reputation of being alive, even though you are dead.”
The first thing we do in Church when a new member comes to join us or a child born in the Church come of age(12 years) is to baptize him. Before baptism, we conduct classes to teach them Christian beliefs, works of flesh, and rules and practices of the ESOCS Church, among others. These classes, subsequent teachings, and personal study are targeted at bringing to your notice the life and character of a Christian. We are expected to know them and put them in practice. In verses 1, 3 of our text, the Lord warned the brethren thus: “So wake up and strengthen what you still have…. Remember what you were taught and what you heard; obey it and turn from your sin…”
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
The moment God accepts your recognition of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, He gives you the power to become a child of God(John 1:12). This power includes the power to live a righteous life and breakthrough in life. Thus, it is out of place for a born again Christian to live in sin and find himself not able to change from identified sinful lifestyle. So, it takes you to know what is sinful by the dictates of the Scripture and decide to stop it. It lies in our hands to do so. In verse 4, the Lord made the point thus: “But a few of you there in Sardis have kept your cloths clean. You will walk with me, clothed in white because you are worthy…”
There is no way you will claim you are born again, but remain in sin. Righteousness is the fruit of the Spirit of God that we received when we became born again. It is by manifesting the fruit that the Lord will reward us with eternal life in His kingdom. In verse 5, the Bible says, “Those who win the victory will be clothed like this in white, and I will not remove their names from the book of the living…”
Let us then revise the teachings we have received about the salvation of God through Jesus Christ and keep to them. Verse 6 of our text warns thus, “If you have ears, then listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.”
CHALLENGES
√ Do you recall the components of the works of the flesh?
PRAYER POINT
√ Lord, I ask for a listening ear and an understanding heart, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
10 May ESOCS Devotional – FURTHER READING
√ Ruth 4:11-22; 1Samuel 1:1-17; Revelation 2:13-29
