What's Your Struggle? Being Right

It seems that a lot of people in and around my life are struggling with different things right now.  Marriages are on the verge of destruction or already there.  People are struggling with living in their own weaknesses and why they can't "just get over it."  There are financial struggles and interpersonal struggles and family strife and job headaches.  These things aren't new, nor are they going away anytime soon - unless Jesus comes back.

These same struggles have been going on for millennia.  Why?  Because they work.  They keep us distracted, they keep us focused on ourselves or our situation instead of on Jesus, on His power, on His Way.

My Bible reading today was Revelation 2 and it just so happened that I got a text while I was reading... I didn't respond to it, but saved it for when I was done.  Turns out, the Holy Spirit had prepared that text and today's reading to come together for a little freedom.  Let me share with you what I mean.

In Revelation 2 the Apostle John is writing to several churches who are having some struggles.  I'll bet you find at least one of these churches that resonates with your own struggles.  I've included some additional Scriptures that can teach you how to handle each struggle as it comes your way.  In faith and the strength of the Holy Spirit in you, you can overcome just as the churches in these letters were encouraged to overcome, to press on, to repent and to follow.

So what I'm going to do is share one of these letters a day until we get through them next week.  I hope that by seeing what the churches in the first century were struggling with and how you might overcome, or stand up through, those struggles you will be encouraged.


Revelation 2:1-7 The Church In Ephesus
This church was praised for their deeds, hard work, perseverance their unwillingness to tolerate wicked people among them and their strong adherence to the Word of God by testing those itinerant preachers who came to them against the Word they had already received.  All these are good things.  Solid things.  Biblical things.  But Jesus, through John, says that this same Biblically solid church has forsaken the love they had at first.

I think the church in Ephesus struggled with being so focused on doing everything right that they forgot to love.

It's an ancient struggle of focusing more on doing than on being.  They were down all the right things.  There is nothing in the list that they should stop doing, but they had forgotten to do all those good things in love.  What's the difference?  Well, it's something I have struggled with myself.  They wanted to be right for the sake of being right, not for the sake of benefiting others.

Being right, diligent, thorough in their study made them feel good about themselves but didn't help others.  They needed to work hard, persevere and correct wicked people out of a spirit of love, for the other persons benefit, not just so they could be proven right.

Are you struggling because you're doing everything right and still feel like there is a disconnect between you and God?  Are you diligent in your study and in your prayer time but you feel like you're praying to the wall or your words crash back down once they hit the ceiling?  Perhaps it's because you're doing these things for the sake of doing them, of being right or telling others of your spiritual discipline and not out of love.  Love for God first.  Love for others second.  Love corrects with the purpose of restoration not retaliation.  Love studies for the purpose of knowing God, not getting noticed by God.

If you're struggling with doing and want to just be in love with Jesus start here:  1 Corinthians 13:1-8

PS.  Notice at the end of verse 7 in Revelation 2 Jesus says that if they are victorious he will give them the right to eat of the tree of life.  This was the tree Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden so they couldn't "eat it and live" in their fallen, sinful state.  When we are victorious in walking in love God gives us the right to live forever with Him in harmony and love as it was in the beginning, we get restored to His perfect plan of presence with His creation!