Scripture Text: Revelation 3:14-22
Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Revelation 3:17 (HCSB)
A recent study showed that people can tell whether you are rich or poor simply by looking at your face. According to psychologist Thora Bjornsdottir, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, even expressionless faces give off hidden signals about social class. According to today’s passage, it is also possible to deceive yourself into thinking that you are better off than you really are. True riches are not a matter of money.
The city of Laodicea was located in the Lycus Valley, ten miles west of the city of Colossae and forty miles south of the city of Philadelphia. It was a wealthy city, famous for eye medicine and wool, and when devastated by the great earthquake of A.D. 17, they didn’t even need government help to rebuild.
The church was also economically prosperous, which had produced an attitude of self-sufficiency and complacency. The believers of Laodicea were doing well financially but languishing spiritually. Like the city’s water system, which was lukewarm and contaminated with lime deposits, Laodicea’s Christianity left a bad taste. Jesus described their spiritual condition as “neither hot or cold” (v. 16).
In a world opposed to God, the gospel cannot help but create sharp lines of separation. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth,” Jesus warned His disciples. “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). The church in Laodicea seems to have attempted neutrality. Reluctant to appear either for or against Jesus and unwilling to rock the boat, they curried favor with the culture in a way that alienated them from the Christ they claimed to serve. These were real Christians who were living false lives. Used to fending for themselves, they failed to grasp their own spiritual poverty (vv. 17–18).
Reflect
1. In what areas of my life am I at risk of becoming spiritually lukewarm, neither hot nor cold?
2. How can I actively pursue a more fervent and passionate relationship with God, rather than settling for spiritual complacency?
3. How have material possessions or worldly pursuits influenced my sense of spiritual richness or poverty?
Remember
The passage reminds us not to be spiritually lukewarm. It's like a call to be really into our faith and not just kind of there. It says it's better to be fully committed or to decide not to follow at all, rather than being indifferent.
In case of being so, turn back to God and get closer to the Lord Jesus. He is knocking on the door, waiting for us to let Him in. Let us also think about how we might be spiritually lacking, finding real richness in Jesus, and following His advice.
Believers-followers of Christ, let us be all in for Him, don't be halfway. He wants to be close to us, and we should think about our faith seriously.
Read
Joshua 24:15-24; Proverbs 13:7; Matthew 6:24; Matthew 13:44; Romans 12:3
Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I am humbled by the reminder not to be spiritually lukewarm. Search my heart, Lord, and reveal any areas where my devotion to You may have waned. I want to be fully committed and passionate in my faith to You.
Lord Jesus, take your place at the center of my heart and be the Lord in every aspect of my life. Forgive me for any self-sufficiency or spiritual apathy. I long for the true riches that come from following You faithfully. Guide me with Your counsel, and may Your transformative power work in my life.
May my life reflect a genuine and wholehearted commitment to You. In Your name, Jesus I pray. Amen.
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