Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Happy Monday, Venture Fam! I’m excited to dive into this week’s devos with you. Let’s continue to settle into the 3rd chapter of Revelation today, and more specifically, what Jesus has to say to the Church at Laodicea.

Recently, Lauren & I have been having to check Henley Grace & Hatcher’s temperatures… a lot. Here’s a quick insight (or memory for those who’ve had kids): when you have one kid in kindergarten & another in preschool, the most used item in your house will be a thermometer. We’re always checking their temps to see if they’re under the weather (which, spoiler alert, they usually are). The thermometer is our first line of defense to see what next steps we need to take to help them feel well again.

Today’s text is like a spiritual thermometer from Jesus, the One who knows not just about what we DO, but what is in our HEARTS. So here we are in verse 14, and we find Jesus, not barging in with complaints but with a gentle knocking at the door. He’s calling out the Church in Laodicea, and in effect to us, with the persistence of a loving friend.

The Laodicean Church has become complacent, cozy in their self-sufficiency, and it’s left them, well, half-hearted. And when it comes to following Jesus, half-hearted just doesn’t cut it. But check out what the Lord does here. He doesn’t shame them; He invites them back into the story. Despite their lukewarm state, He offers them a chance to rekindle their zeal. He’s saying, “Hey, I love you, so I’m going to call you to the carpet here. It’s time to turn away from your mild relationship with me & reignite your passion for My name.”

And in that invitation, we find a nudge to examine our own fervor for the Lord. Are we on fire for Him, passionate about the things of God & His renown in our world? Or have we settled into a comfortable cruise control? If I’m being honest, too often I can easily fall into the latter. But here’s the hope: being passionate about Jesus has nothing to do with being perfect, but it’s about being engaged, fully present to Him as we live our lives.

Today, Jesus is extending an open invitation to deeper intimacy with Him. In Revelation 3, this is represented as sharing a meal together in verse 20. Jesus doesn’t just want to be loved by you; He wants to love you. He wants to offer His presence to you and in doing so, ignite a passion for His name & glory.

So how do we respond? Well, it might mean that we need to start getting raw in our prayers–drop the formalities & let Him know what’s really on our hearts. Let’s not be content with a faith that’s just "okay." Let’s chase after Jesus with everything we’ve got. Let’s pursue a faith that’s alive, vibrant, and dynamic. A faith that’s on fire.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Take a moment to assess your spiritual temperature. What do you find?
• What’s one thing that can fan the flames of your faith today?
• How can you create space in your day to sit & be with Jesus? 
• Prayer: Jesus, shake me out of any complacency and ignite in me a renewed passion for You. I want to sit at the table with You, not just simply wave at You as I pass by & go throughout my life. Fuel my faith, and let my life be a testament to Your name. Amen. 

Family Devo: Revelation 3

By: Amanda Carpenter

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.   

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset  

Head

In Revelation, Jesus appears to John, the disciple, and tells him to “write on a scroll what you see. Send it to the seven churches” (Revelation 1: 11, NIRV). If you open your Bible to Revelation, you may see lots of words written in red. This means that Jesus actually spoke these words. I’m going to leave them in red here, so you will remember the words that came straight from the mouth of Jesus.

In Revelation 3, Jesus is speaking to the churches in the cities called Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. (Whew! Those are some big names. Let’s just call them S-Town, P-Town, and L-Town.) 

To S-Town, He says: “I know what you are doing. People think you are alive, but you are dead…so remember what you have been taught and have heard. Hold firmly to it. Turn away from your sins” (Rev. 3:1b, 3, NIRV). Have you ever heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? This is the situation with Sardis. On the outside, Sardis appears to be doing well and has it all together. Jesus knows the truth: the people of Sardis have been doing things that do not please God. He warns them to turn back to God and start making good choices. 

To P-Town, He says, “Hold on to what you have. Then no one will take away your crown” (Rev. 3: 11, NIRV). What do they have? Jesus tells them, “I know you don’t have much strength. But you have obeyed my word. You have not said no to me…I have loved you” (Rev. 3:8b, Rev. 3:9b, NIRV) Even when they are weak, they turn to Jesus. 

To L-Town, He says, “But you are lukewarm. You aren’t hot or cold. So I am going to spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3: 16, NIRV). Ouch! In Matthew 12:30, Jesus tells us that anyone who is not with Him is against Him. I sure want to be WITH Him! In Revelation, Jesus continues, “I warn and correct those I love. So be sincere, and turn away from your sins. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. I will eat with that person, and they will eat with me ” (Rev. 3:19-20, NIRV). How amazing would it be to sit and eat at the table with the One and Only Living GOD! 

Heart 

At the end of each message to each church, Jesus says, “Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:6, Rev. 3:13, Rev. 3:22, NIRV). The Bible is still “alive and active.” We have ears. We should listen. We should obey. 

Hands 

I challenge you to keep the phrase, “What would Jesus do?” in mind throughout the day today. When you have a tough moment with a friend, brother, or sister, think, “How would Jesus handle this situation?” When we think about Jesus sitting in the room during our conversations, it tends to change how we act towards other people. 

Prayer: Lord, Help me to remember Your Word, turn away from my sins, obey You (even when it’s hard), and choose You. I know You love me. Help me to grow to be more and more like You. Amen.