Revelation: Let’s Lay Down Our Lives and Our Rights | May 8, 2023

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)

 The church in Smyrna suffered severe persecution for their faith, and Jesus encouraged them to be faithful unto death, just as He had. Their faith flourished because they made God’s name great by laying down their lives and not fighting for their rights. And the Kingdom of God moved forward.

I watched a show last week where a young man stood up to racism and his restaurant was vandalized as a result. As he shared the news with his dad, his dad gave this advice: “My son, forgive them. Don’t fight back. Fight forward.”

The Christians in Smyrna fought forward. They laid down their lives and their rights so the Kingdom of God continued to flourish, and they changed the world. The Roman Empire is gone. The Kingdom of God is here and eternal. 

If we want to change the world and move the Kingdom of God forward, we need to lay down our lives and our rights. 

Philippians 2:5-8 ESV

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Where in your life are you fighting for your rights? Pray and ask God to help you lay them down so you can advance His Kingdom.