Daily Devo

Strengthen What Remains

By: Kim Garrett

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

"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

Consider the context of this verse. When Jesus told His church to, "Strengthen what remains..." He seems to be asking for a response, right? Sometimes, to move forward, we must start by looking back. A great question to ask ourselves is: What needs to be strengthened in my life? In verse 1 of Revelation 3, Jesus told the church He was aware of their deeds. Then, He told them they had a reputation of being alive, but in God's eyes they were dead!

Point # 1: Jesus sees everything!

Dead? Ouch! That hurts, Jesus. Throughout scripture, we are reminded that God evaluates people based on what resides within their heart. He was correcting the church in Sardis for their own good, out of love for His Bride, the church.

Point # 2: Looking good on the outside doesn't matter. The inside (our heart) is what counts!

God's presence and God's power lives within us. The Holy Spirit is perfecting us, transforming us to be more like Christ. We aren't here by accident, we were created by God, and for God. And through His Son's death, burial, and resurrection, He invited us to join His kingdom! He is also asking us to be in a close, personal relationship with Him. But God isn't asking us to be perfect, He's asking us to surrender our will to His. When we truly surrender, He will start slowly transforming us into the image of His Son.

When our identity is based on Christ, we can reflect God's image to a hurting, lost world. A world that desperately needs a Savior! Jesus' call to "strengthen what remains" is a call to pause and reflect on what resides within our hearts, and we must evaluate our thoughts, motives, attitudes, and actions. Does our inside match what people see on our outside? If not, then according to Jesus, the only way we can move forward is by "strengthening what remains."

In the NIV, Revelation 3:2 says the church in Sardis had unfinished deeds. But in the NKJV, Jesus said: "I have not found your works perfect before God." The Greek word for perfect is "Teleios" which means to be complete, mature, and fully developed spiritually. God isn't asking us to be perfect, He's asking us to be spiritually mature!

So, how do we strengthen what remains? By studying and applying God's Word to our lives. By talking to God through our prayers. By spending time with other mature believers and being an active part of God's Church.