‘These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.’” (Revelation 3:7-10 NIV)
For so many, social media serves as a source for validation of worthiness to be admired. “Look at me!” seems to be the mantra of so many Facebook and Instagram posts. “Look at how great and fun my life is!” Or, how lousy it is. Either way, the attempt is being made to draw attention to one’s value as a human being—either to be admired or to garner empathy.
As I have been reading Revelation the past few days, a sentence in this passage stood out: “I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.“ The glorified Jesus is acknowledging the hardships of His followers in the church at Philadelphia. In spite of great persecution, they had not denied His Name. He comforts them by promising they will soon be acknowledged as worthy by their persecutors who were currently doing terrible things to them. And His reason? Because He loved them.
What struck me as quite pertinent to our culture today is the Philadelphians’ value came from the reality they were loved by the King of kings and Lord of lords. No matter what other people said about them or did to them, nothing would or could change this fact. The Lord loved them and soon that would be evident to all who thought them unworthy.
What wonderful news to all of us! Instead of chasing after the attention and validation of others through “likes,” “views,” “comments,” and “shares,” we can rest in the knowledge that we are loved by the King and soon enough everyone will know of our value to Him. There is no need to continually seek assurance from others that each of us is a worthy and valuable human being. Our assurance comes from His very lips! “I love you!”
Today, are you in constant pursuit of validation? Are you weary of it? Then find rest and solace in the fact you are valued and deeply loved by the One whose opinion, in reality, is the only one that matters. Even if, like the Philadelphians, you feel unloved, take heart in the fact that one day everyone will know how loved you truly are!
© Jim Musser 2018
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