January 28.
Stand Firm Under Pressure

Revelation 2:9
I know thy works, and tribulation…

I know thy works. Jesus knows my name; he knows my number; he knows of my necessities; he knows where I’m going before I leave home; he knows my thoughts before I think them because he is an all knowing God. He says I know thy works – and then he adds and tribulations. Now the word tribulation here comes from the word meaning pressure. Isn’t that exciting to know that the Lord knows the pressure you’re under? And the good part about it is not only does he know, but he is also able to do something about it.
The people of the church in Smyrna were experiencing crisis in their lives. Many of the Jews there believed in worshiping Caesar. Once each year every person in Smyrna would have to stand before a court of law and say that Caesar was his Lord. But the saints couldn’t say Caesar is our Lord. And since they refused to say that Caesar is our Lord, they got in trouble within the city. If they were merchants, it got all over town that they wouldn’t worship Caesar. And so folk stopped buying products from them. If they worked on a public job and everybody else was bowing to Caesar then they would get demoted. A person could lose their job if the boss became upset when he didn’t bow to Caesar. Students would get picked on at school by the professors and everybody else because they didn’t bow to the god of Caesar.
So Jesus says I know what you’re going through and I know your pressure. He let them know what was ahead, prison and hard times, because of their unwavering stand. But He also told them to be faithful unto death and He would give them a crown of life. These people had tapped into the real life and were not willing to deny Jesus and lose their eternal reward. He says, “I know your tribulation.”
365 Days in the Presence of God: Daily Devotions from the Sermons of Dr. Frank Ray.