2005-07-01 - Letter to the Church in Laodicea

The Seven Churches, Part 7 - Laodicea

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm" neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹ To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:14 NASB)

The Spirit had these instructions for the church at Laodicea:

1. Buy refined Gold so they can become rich. They possessed worldly wealth. They owned their equivalent of the beach house, the luxury automobile, the designer wardrobe. If they were alive today, we'd probably use the word "self-made" to describe them. But none of us are self-made. If we believe we are, we are just deceiving ourselves. Everything we own or "make" is only by the allowance, the grace, of God.

   There's nothing inherently wrong with being rich. In fact, God can use an humble, faithful rich person better than a prideful, selfish poor one. And there is nothing inherently superior about being poor.What we do with our riches, and our attitude toward them, is what matters. Riches aren't to be the recipient of our faith; rather, they should be used for God's purposes. Use your new car to ferry someone who doesn't have one. Donate some of your largess to a trustworthy organization that helps people with little money.

   But sometimes we become overdependent on our possessions, and they end up possessing us. what would you do if overnight, everything you own disappeared in a tsunami or a fire? What if your insurance company said it couldn't replace your home? Scary thought indeed, but your true treasure - your Heavenly treasure - would be untouched.

   Long after our earthly "things" are corroded or degraded back into the Earth, our Heavenly possessions will live on forever - our soul, our joy, our peace, our future with God.

2. Buy white clothes to cover their nakedness. They might own the finest clothing available, but they were lacking what was needed to enter Heaven, the covering for their sins - which only Christ's sacrifice can provide.

3. Acquire salve for their eyes. The Laodiceans had limited vision, and didn't view the world through God's eyes. To do that, required a spiritual implant. Christ "saved" us 2000 years ago, as a gift; all we have to do is claim our salvation. (See Ephesians 2:8-9)

The Spirit's words may sound harsh: Because they lacked spiritual passion, God would spit the Laodecians out of His mouth. But along with the warning, came a promise. If they were to repent, they could have eternal fellowship with God. If you are blessed enough to have one or more close Earthly friends, you know what a sweet experience that fellowship can be. But it doesn't hold a candle to what it will be like in Heaven, fellowshipping with God.

Have you claimed God's unalloyed gold and snow-white clothing? Christ paid the bill; all we have to do is pick up the merchandise. Have you formed a relationship with God through His Son, who died so we could live forever with our Heavenly Father? All you have to do is ask Him for that relationship and eternal security. If you have any questions about this, feel free to write myself, david@cfdevotionals.org or mhoskins@cfdevotionals.org.

Comments or Questions?
Jan

Rijan@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org