Revelation 14:12
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Every brand has its own characteristic. If you were to name a popular product, anyone who uses it or is familiar with it will know the characteristics of that product. That product’s characteristics are what differentiates it from other products.
God expects certain characteristics from His children that differentiates them from everyone else. That are many forms of religion throughout the world, but the saints of God should carry the characteristics which God defines in His Word. In the verse above, God shows three characteristics He looks for in the saints.
First, God looks for patience in the saints. He says, “Here is the patience of the saints…” When you read the previous verses, you see that God is pouring out His wrath upon the beast and those who took his mark. The patience of the saints is the Christian waiting for His coming. In other words, the Christian keeps on patiently doing right expecting the LORD to come through.
Christian, one thing should be very evident about your life, and that is that you continue to serve the LORD in spite of all that may happen. When hardships come, you should patiently wait for the LORD to come through. When heartbreak comes, you should patiently wait for the LORD to come through. One of the defining characteristics of the saints is that they never lose hope that the LORD will come through for them. Their patience may be tried, but they never quit no matter what comes their way.
Second, God looks for the saints to keep His commandments. In trying times when you are ridiculed, the saints of God will continue to keep His commandments. When others quit God’s commandments, His saints continue to keep them. This is what defines the saints of God. The saints of God do not look to the world to determine what to do; instead, they look to the Word of God to determine what to do. God’s commandments never change. The saints of God continue to keep God’s commandments when the conscience of men and cultures change.
Third, God looks for the saints not to lose the faith of Jesus. This is interesting to me because He didn’t say losing the faith, but the “faith of Jesus.” What is the “faith of Jesus?” When you study the Gospels, you always see that the faith of Jesus performed the miraculous. In other words, the characteristic of the saints is that they never stop believing that the miraculous can be done. The faith of Jesus will cause the saint to see mountains removed in their life. (Matthew 21:21) In other words, the saint will never stop believing, pursuing and seeing God do the miraculous through their lives.
Do you carry the characteristics of a saint? Do you continue to serve God in spite of circumstances? Have you kept God’s commandments when others around you have compromised? Do you continually see the miraculous in your life? These characteristics are what separates the saints of God from everyone else, and they are what will make a difference in your world.
Allen Domelle is the editor of the Old Paths Journal which is more than just a Christian’s publication. It is an excellent place to learn how today’s headlines will forge tomorrow’s laws and statutes. Keep yourself in tune with what is happening around the world, as well as in your own backyard with our daily updates and devotionals.