For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Christmas is coming soon. Let us remember what it is truly about, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us strive to not be caught up in the commercialism which is what this season is about for many in our society today.

    Words are not, by themselves, sufficient to impose discipline. While those who hear them may understand what is said, unless they lead to greater consequences, they will not change their behavior as a result.
    Talking without thinking how others will hear what you say is the most foolish thing you can do. Thoughtless words will have longer term consequences than any other action you can take.

    This psalm is a reminder that the Jewish people have been persecuted for as long as they have been a people. Nevertheless, they have remained a people favored by God. Those who hate Jerusalem and the Jewish people will suffer and become outcasts. God’s blessings will be withheld from them.

    John gives a message to each of the seven churches. His first message is for the church in Ephesus. He starts out with praise for them. They work hard and patiently endure difficult times. They do not tolerate evil people (an important point for us to note in this age of “tolerance”). They have not been fooled by false teachers who claim to speak for God. They have patiently endured suffering for their faith. All of this is praiseworthy. However, they have lost their enthusiasm.
    His message to the church in Smyrna is praise and a warning. They are materially poor and physically suffering, but they are rich in faith. Unlike the other churches, the warning is not a warning to change somethings. It is a warning that persecution is about to start. But it is also encouragement, reminding them of the reward that awaits those who remain faithful.
    Next is the message for the church in Pergamum. They are praised for remaining faithful in the face of persecution. They continued to call on the name of Jesus, even when threatened with death for doing so. However, they have among them those who encourage sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. I think this can be contrasted with the church in Ephesus which would not tolerate evil people. In Pergamum, they had among them those who preached in the church that they must tolerate all types of behavior. Such teaching encourages people to sin, instead of encouraging people not to sin.
    When we read the messages to the seven churches, we must take careful note of our own lives and our own churches to decide which of these messages most closely addresses where we are. Here in the U.S., there are few, if any churches which fall into the category of the church in Smyrna. We are not poor. nor are we truly suffering. However, much of the church in the U.S. falls into one of the other two we studied today, and some have both problems. All too many of us have lost our enthusiasm for Christ. And all too many people in the church today teach that we must be tolerant of others, no matter what they do, or teach. I do not make the second mistake, but I struggle with the first. How do I regain my enthusiasm?

    The book of Amos starts of with repeated statements saying, “The people of XXX have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished.” This is to remind us that we cannot escape judgement for our sins by saying, “But everybody else was doing it.” God brought judgement against the peoples living around the land of Israel for the injustices they did against the people of Israel. But Israel did not get a pass because they were so mistreated. God will not excuse us for our sins just because we were “misunderstood”, or had a difficult childhood, or whatever other excuse we may have.