Pastor Keaton Washburn
“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” Revelation 3:11
I hate detours and traffic and I assume you are not a huge fan of them either. Instead of getting where you need to be in the time and route that you were planning on, it takes longer and usually goes well out of the way. In Revelation chapter 3, John writes to the church in Philadelphia, a Roman city, regarding the detours and slowdowns of life.
In Revelation 3:10, John writes regarding their “patient endurance,” assumedly through trials. When trials, detours, and slowdowns came, the believers in Philadelphia endured them patiently. The Word of the Lord continues in verse 11 to say to those in Philadelphia, “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” It begins with an encouragement, “I am coming soon.” Therefore, the exhortation, “Hold fast what you have.” Because Christ is coming soon, hold fast so that no one may take your crown, ultimately meaning their salvation.
A couple of years ago, I took a trip to the Czech Republic. After flying into Prague, we took a train around the country from city to city. This train raised my expectations of what a train could be. It had large compartments, almost like suites in it, a train car dedicated solely to a kids’ play area, large bathrooms, spacious seating areas, and they served full meals during the trip. My seat was towards the back of the train, but I did not mind. As the train got going, I explored the various cars and took in all that it had to offer. I walked up to the front cars and then back to my seat, just in time to get my complimentary meal. I did not mind walking around on the train though, because I knew where it was ultimately taking me. I would walk up to the front of the train and back, but I did not mind walking back to my seat, taking me further from my destination, because I knew where I was ultimately headed.
The message to the believers in Philadelphia was that they needed to hold fast to Christ through trials because Christ was coming back and they knew their ultimate destination which was eternity with Him.
The takeaway for believers today is quite similar. We are to hold fast in our faith in Christ, even through the slowdowns and detours, even when it seems like we are traveling in the wrong direction for a time, because we know our ultimate destination. Like the train taking me around the Czech Republic, we can stand firm knowing that the Lord is carrying us to our final destination!