Revelation - What it Means for You Today - MAKE SURE THAT YOUR WORSHIP IS ACCEPTABLE

 Right from the first chapter of Revelation, we learn that JEsus is full aware of what is happening in the congregation of his people.  (Revelation 1:12-16. 20; 2:1) Jesus demonstrated such awareness in the messages he sent to seven congregations in Asia Minor.  In those messages, he gave specific direction to help first-century Christians make sure that their worship was acceptable to Jehovah.  Moreover, what is said in those messages applies to all of God's people today.  We are under Jesus'protective oversight; nothing escapes his eyes.  He knows what we need to do in order to continue enjoying Jehovah's approval.  What direction did he give that we need to observe today?

Read Revelation 2:3, 4.  We must not lose our first love for Jehovah.  Jesus' message to those in the congregation in Ephesus indicated that they had shown endurance and that they had continued without letup to serve Jehovah in spite of various challenges.  Even so, they had lost the love they had at first.  They needed to rekindle that love-otherwise, their worship would not be acceptable.  Likewise today, we need to do more than endure.  We need to endure for the right reasons.  Our God is interested in not only what we do but also why we do it.  Our motives are importanto him because he expects our worship to be based on our deep love and appreciation for him.  - PROVERbS 16:2; MARK 12:29, 30.

Read Revelation 3:1-3. We must continue to remain awake and alert.  The members of the congregation in Sardis had a different problem. Even though they had been spirirtually active in the past, they were becoming lax in their service to God. Jesus therefore told them to "wake up." What is the warning lesson for us?  Of course,  Jehovah will not forget our work. (Hebrews 6:10) Still, we cannot  rely merely on wha twe have done in the past in Jehovah's service. Though  we may have more limitations than before, we need to keep busy in "the work of the Lord," remaining awake and alert right to the end. - 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58; MATTHEW 24:13; MARK 13:33.

Read Revelation 3:15-17. We must be zealous and wholehearted in our worship.  Jesus' message to those in Laodicea highlighted yet a different problem. They were "lukewarm"  in their worship.  Because of their apathy,, Jesus told them they were in a "miseragble and pitiful "state.   They needed to display fiery zeal for Jehovah and his worship. (Revelation 3:19)  What is the lesson for us?  If we  have lost a measure of our zeal, we must stir up our appreciation for the spiritual riches we have.  (Revelation 3:18)  Never would we want to allow the pursuit of a comfortable lifestyle to distract us, causing us to relegate spiritual activities to second place.

Next time:  Revelation -What It Means for You Today - MAKE SURE THAT YOUR WORSHIP IS ACCEPTABLE

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