True Riches: Faith, Courage, and Contentment in Christ

Summary

Christians often mistake material comfort for true wealth, but Scripture defines riches as the contentment that comes from being in Christ. The persecuted believers in Smyrna were materially poor yet spiritually rich because they trusted Jesus, the risen Lord over life and death. Their suffering refined their faith, reduced reliance on human strength, and increased dependence on God’s power. True disciples move forward despite fear, endure hardship faithfully, and become instruments God uses to rescue others for eternal life.

The Hidden Cost of Loving Comfort and Wealth

Most of us pay too much attention to money, bodily comforts, and sensual pleasures. Serious symptoms include worrying about money instead of managing it, comparing our possessions with others, obsessing about what we do not have, and losing joy in giving to meet others’ needs.

The Church in Smyrna: Poor Yet Rich

God’s true riches are contentment with Him and His provisions. The Smyrna church believers (Revelation 2:8-11) were rich despite their empty pockets. We will see why shortly. Smyrna was one of two churches in Revelation that Jesus did not rebuke.

Persecution and the Price of Faithfulness

Smyrna was a dangerous place to be a Christ follower because it was a center of emperor worship and contained a large, actively hostile Jewish population.

Roman citizens in Smyrna burned incense on the altar and said, “Caesar is Lord.” Because most Christians refused to comply, they suffered.

Christ as Our True Riches

These verses reveal how to be rich in the things that matter most. We are rich because we have Christ. He is the First and the Last.

His first recorded words created everything. He will have the last word in every life. He became a corpse and came to life again. He offers us resurrection to eternal life and a body like His.

Our problems do not surprise Him. He is always available to help. He knew the crushing burdens the Christians at Smyrna carried, and He knows ours. He knew their poverty.

They were rich in faith but not in material things. There were two Greek words for poor. The first meant without anything extra, and the second meant having nothing. The Christians at Smyrna were in the second group.

Their stand for Christ brought them economic losses. Furthermore, they were persecuted because some of the Jews told malicious lies about them. Satan was the ultimate source of that persecution.

Fear, Suffering, and Spiritual Growth

The prospect of suffering made the believers at Smyrna fearful. Jesus told them to stop being afraid. Fear is a wind gust that magnifies the wildfires of our problems. We must courageously walk toward our fears.

Do we have a faith that endures persecution and possible death without shriveling up and blowing away? Our trials help us grow spiritually by emptying us of our dependence on human strength.

Strength Through Dependence on God

They increase our receptivity to God’s limitless power. Depending on his strength, Peter denied Jesus three times. Years later, powered by the Holy Spirit, he died for Jesus without hesitation.

Obeying Jesus today prepares us for obedience in the furnace. A bleak winter of suffering may be ahead, but an eternal spring of life and peace will follow.

Faith That Endures and Rescues Others

Jesus uses people who are rich in faith, move ahead despite fear, and are faithful to help Him rescue a perishing world. Can He count on you? See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.  #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 7,541 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 17,361 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting. 

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