19th-25th October 2026
If you are anything like me, it can be easy to look back over life through rose-tinted glasses, remembering the good times while conveniently forgetting the struggles, disappointments and difficulties that were part of those days too.
I remember school holidays when the sun always seemed to shine, the days seemed endless, and we spent hours outside playing with friends, only coming home when we were hungry or it was getting dark! Of course, I'm sure it rained just as much back then, but perhaps we simply didn't notice it as much. Maybe that had something to do with spending more time outdoors, with fewer distractions inside like televisions, the internet and smart devices!
We can convince ourselves that life was somehow better back then, when the reality is that every season of life has had its joys and challenges.
But perhaps there's another danger. When we look at where we are today, we can become comfortable, thinking, “I'm doing OK. Things aren't perfect, but they're not too bad either.”
The danger is that we end up with a distorted view of both the past and the present. We remember yesterday as better than it really was, while convincing ourselves that today is better than it actually is.
Perhaps the challenge is to look back with gratitude, look at today with honesty, and look forward with a willingness to let God continue his work in us.
And that brings us to the church in Sardis. When Jesus speaks to this church in Revelation 3, he says something quite startling: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1)
I wonder how the Christians in Sardis felt when they first heard those words. After all, they had a reputation for being alive. Perhaps they were a busy church, with plenty happening, people attending and a good reputation in their community. From the outside, everything may have looked healthy. But Jesus saw something very different.
And perhaps that's the uncomfortable challenge for us too. It's possible to become so comfortable with how things appear that we fail to recognise what's really happening beneath the surface.
What does a dead church look like?
We might picture an empty building, poor teaching, lifeless worship or very little happening. Yet Sardis reminds us that spiritual death isn't always obvious. A church can be active, respected and busy while having very little genuine spiritual life.
And the same can be true in our own lives. We can continue attending church, serving in ministry, saying the right things and doing all the things we've always done, while our relationship with Jesus becomes increasingly distant. Perhaps we don't even notice it happening.
It may be that the church in Sardis had become too comfortable with the world around them. They had learned to fit in rather than stand out.
Yet a life shaped by Jesus will not always fit comfortably with the values of the world around us. Jesus calls us to be merciful, meek, peacemakers, people who love their enemies, go the extra mile and demonstrate a very different way of living.
That doesn't mean we should go looking for conflict or assume that every disagreement proves we're being faithful. But following Jesus should make a difference to how we live.
And so, Jesus says to Sardis: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die.” (Revelation 3:2). It's the picture of a watchman who has fallen asleep, unaware of the danger around him.
But notice something important. Jesus doesn't simply condemn the church in Sardis and walk away. He calls them to wake up because there is still an opportunity to respond. He tells them to remember what they have received and heard, to hold it fast and repent.
And there is encouragement here too. Jesus introduces himself as the one who holds the seven spirits of God, reminding us of the fullness and life-giving work of the Holy Spirit. The church may have lost its spiritual vitality, but the one who gives spiritual life is still speaking to them. And perhaps that is what makes this letter both challenging and encouraging.
Jesus knows the reality of our lives. He sees beyond our reputation, our activity and the outward appearances that can sometimes convince us everything is fine. But he also loves us enough to call us to wake up.
It's worth remembering too that Jesus recognises those in Sardis who have remained faithful to him. Even in a church that he describes as dead, there are those who continue to walk with him.
So perhaps this week we need to ask ourselves a question. When Jesus looks at my life, does he see the same picture that I see? Or are there areas where I've become so comfortable with how things are that I've stopped recognising my need for him?
And as we think about Glenabbey, perhaps we need to ask that same question together. Not simply, “Are we a busy church?” or “Do people think we're doing well?” But rather, “Are we a church that is truly alive in Jesus, allowing his Spirit to shape who we are, how we live and how we love those around us?”
Because ultimately, it's not our reputation that matters, but what Jesus sees when he looks at us.
Perhaps the challenge for us this week is to look beyond appearances, to be honest about where we are in our walk with Jesus, and to hear his call to wake up, strengthen what remains and continue growing in our relationship with him.
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
Reputation and Reality
To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:1
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
The church in Sardis had a good reputation. Others believed it was alive, but Jesus saw a very different reality. Reputation is not unimportant, but it can never tell the whole story. People see our activity, words and outward behaviour. Jesus sees beneath them.
We can have too high an opinion of ourselves, assuming that everything is healthy because we are busy or respected. We can also have too low an opinion of ourselves and fail to recognise what God is doing. What matters most is not our own assessment or the opinion of others, but the honest and gracious assessment of Jesus.
Pause and Reflect
Is there a difference between how others see your spiritual life and what is really happening within you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to see myself honestly. Keep me from depending upon reputation, activity or the opinions of others. Show me what is true about my relationship with Jesus and lead me into a deeper spiritual life and awareness of your constant presence with me. Amen.
TUESDAY
The Signs of Spiritual Life
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:11–12
For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.
Matthew 5:7-9 (NIV)
Spiritual life begins in our relationship with Jesus. He is not only our Saviour but our Lord. Following him involves surrendering every part of our lives to him. The evidence of this life is not simply religious activity. Jesus describes people who are meek, merciful, pure in heart and committed to peace. They deal seriously with anger, go beyond what is demanded and even love those who oppose them.
These qualities do not earn us life with God. They are evidence of the life of Jesus being formed within us.
Pause and Reflect
Which aspect of the character of Jesus would you most like others to see growing within you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the life you have given me through Jesus. Help me not only to call him my Saviour but to follow him as my Lord. Shape my attitudes, relationships and choices so that others increasingly see Jesus in me. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
Wake Up
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.
Revelation 3:2 (NIV)
The call to Sardis was urgent. The church needed to wake up. Like a watchman asleep on duty, they had become unaware of the danger around them. Their decline may have happened so gradually that they did not recognise it.
The same can happen to us. Familiar Christian routines continue, but we stop paying attention to God. Prayer becomes occasional, Scripture no longer challenges us and obedience becomes selective. The call to wake up is not intended to overwhelm us. It asks us to recognise what is happening and respond while there is still time.
Pause and Reflect
Is there an area of your spiritual life in which you have become sleepy, careless or complacent?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, wake me up and alert to wherever I have become spiritually complacent. Help me to recognise what I have ignored and respond to what you are saying. Renew my desire to know Jesus and to take up my cross daily and follow him faithfully. Amen.
THURSDAY
An Opportunity to Turn Around
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Revelation 3:2–3
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20 (NIV)
Jesus’ warning to Sardis was severe, but it was also an expression of amazing grace. The church was being given an opportunity to change. The Old Testament description of God as slow to anger carries the picture of anger taking a long time to flare up. God is patient because he wants people to turn back to him.
When Jesus calls us to repent, we should picture the father welcoming his returning son. Repentance is not crawling back to a reluctant God. It is turning towards a Father who is ready to forgive, restore, run towards us and move us forward.
Pause and Reflect
Is there something in your life that you need to acknowledge before God and turn to him for forgiveness and restoration?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that you are kind, patient, compassionate and ready to forgive me whenever I fall. Help me to accept rather than resist your call to change. Give me the courage to turn around and receive the grace and restoration you offer through Jesus. Amen.
FRIDAY
Remember and Hold Fast
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Revelation 3:3 (NIV)
Jesus called the church to remember what it had received and heard, to hold firmly to it and respond in obedience. Spiritual renewal does not require us to discover a secret technique. We need to return to the truth we have already received: God loves us, Jesus has given himself for us, and the Holy Spirit is present within us.
We remember these truths through Scripture, worship, prayer and sharing life with other believers. We then hold them firmly by allowing them to shape how we live, being transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Pause and Reflect
What truth about God do you particularly need to remember and hold on to today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gospel and for opening my eyes and mind to the truth of what it declares about your love, grace and forgiveness. When I become distracted or discouraged, bring me back to these truths and help me to hold firmly to your Word and live in obedience to Jesus. Amen.
SATURDAY
The Spirit Who Gives Life
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Romans 8:10–11 (NIV)
Jesus holds the sevenfold Spirit of God, a picture of the Holy Spirit in all his fullness and completeness. This gives hope to a church described as dead. The Spirit of God can bring life where life appears to have disappeared. He can awaken desire, restore faith and renew our love for Jesus.
Renewal cannot be produced simply by working harder or becoming busier. We need the life-giving presence and power of the Holy Spirit. There were still faithful people in Sardis, and something remained which could be strengthened. Jesus had not abandoned his church.
Pause and Reflect
Where do you most need the Holy Spirit to bring renewal and fresh life?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Breathe fresh life into the places where I have become cold or weary. Renew us as a church at Glenabbey and deepen our love for Jesus. Amen.
SUNDAY
Clothed and Known
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:4–6 (NIV)
Jesus knew the faithful people within Sardis, even if others had failed to notice them. He promised them white clothing, a picture associated with purity, acceptance and victory.
He also promised to acknowledge them before his Father. Their confidence did not rest upon their reputation in Sardis but upon being known by Jesus. What an incredible truth!
The reference to the book of life may have reminded them of public records from which names could be removed when someone died or lost their standing. Jesus’ promise is intended to give his people assurance rather than leave them living in fear. Those who belong to him are known, accepted and secure.
Pause and Reflect
How does knowing that Jesus sees, knows and acknowledges you change the way you view yourself and others?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that my hope does not depend on my reputation or achievements, but on what Jesus has accomplished for me. Thank you that through him I am known, loved and accepted by you. Help me to remain faithful, to keep trusting you and to recognise that you are always at work, even when I cannot see or understand what you are doing. Thank you for the wonderful promise that the good work you have begun in me you will carry through to completion. Amen.