The sixth church that Jesus mentions in Revelation is in Philadelphia. This is the second congregation that Jesus gives a glowing report (after the church in Smyrna). In Revelation 3:8-10, Jesus tells the Philadelphians:
8′ I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9’Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
As I read what Jesus tells this congregation, I can’t help but make the comparison to Job, about whom Satan says in Job 1:9-10
9 … “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
The church in Philadelphia was dedicated to doing God’s will, and Jesus applauds their efforts. He goes so far as to say that He will make their detractors bow down at their feet, open a door before them that no one can shut, and keep them from being persecuted.
Sometimes there’s a lot happening to us and around us in life, and we can get overwhelmed by it or we can let it get us down. But have you ever stopped to wonder what sorts of things God is preventing from happening because of the Godly choices you make? Or, on the other hand, have you wondered how many things God might have protected you from if you’d made different choices?
If we are willing to stand for God no matter the cost, then God will also stand with us.