Being a father, a husband or just a man in general, according to what God has called us to be, can be a lonely thing sometimes.  Now, that's not a slight against our wives, who also have a job that can sometimes only be described as hard.  We do have the comfort of taking care of and being taken care of by each other.  Even when we're apart I have the knowledge that my wife loves me, prays for me and takes care of me.  But, there are times for both of us when no one can comfort, heal and know our hearts like the Holy Spirit of God. Revelation 3 contains, among other things, a message from Jesus to the church in Philadelphia.  In this particular letter, Jesus says at the beginning of verse 8, "I know your deeds."  (Now, that thought alone can be either encouraging or terrifying, depending on the nature of our deeds...something to think about.)  To the saints in Philadelphia, Jesus knowing their deeds was a tremendous source of hope, because their deeds were faithful to Him.  Jesus let them know that He saw that they had "kept [His] word, and [had] not denied [His] name."

I want my life to be like the church at Philadelphia.  The only thing that the Lord had to say to them was to keep doing what they were doing.  He spoke words of strength, encouragement and approval to them.  The church was under persecution and had "little power".  They felt like we feel sometimes:  beaten up, overwhelmed, worn out, and weak.  It's easy to feel that way sometimes, when we stand, fight and do the right things, sometimes with little or no apparent result.  In those times, God has always said and will always say to His people:  "I know your deeds."