Dec. 15, 2024

As the letter of Revelation makes its way to the church in Smyrna, the Christians there are under intense pressure from all sides. Jesus knows their struggle and suffering, yet His comfort for them is not that it is almost over but that it has just begun.  As Christians, suffering often feels like the anger of God rather than His love and grace but as we see in the narrative of Scripture, there is a point to suffering for the Christian. God is doing something with it and there is joy to be found both in the middle of it and on the other side of it.