Page 10 - Good News September2007 paper

LOVE GOD
ABOVE ALL
"If you love your father and mother more than you
love Me, you are not worthy of being Mine; or if you
love your son or daughter more than Me, you are
not worthy of being Mine."
Christ calls us to a higher mission than to find
comfort and tranquillity in this life. Love of family is
a law of God, but even this love can be self-serving
and an excuse not to serve God or do His work.
"If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me,
you are not worthy of being Mine."
To take up our cross and follow Jesus, we must lay
down other cares and priorities - only then can we
pick up our commitment to Christ. We should be
totally committed to God and willing to face
anything, even suffering and death, for His sake.
"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you
give it up for Me, you will save it."
This verse is a positive and negative statement of
the same truth: clinging to this life, may cause us to
forfeit the best from Christ in this world AND in the
next. The more we love this life's rewards (leisure,
power, popularity, financial security), the more we
discover how empty they really are.
The best way to enjoy life, therefore, is to loosen
our greedy grasp on earthly rewards and thus to be
free to follow Christ (Matthew 16:25). In doing so,
we will inherit eternal life and begin at once to
experience the benefits of following Him.
[Matthew 10:37-39, Life Application Bible, Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., 1988].
ND TO THE ANGEL (messenger) of
the assembly (church) in Laodicea
Awrite: These are the words of the
Amen, the trusty and faithful and true
Witness, the Origin and Beginning and
Author of God's creation:
I know your [record of] works and what you
are doing; you are neither cold nor hot.
Would that you were cold or hot!
So, because you are lukewarm and neither
cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My
mouth!
For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and
grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing;
and you do not realize and understand that
you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and
naked.
Therefore I counsel you to purchase from
Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you
may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to
clothe you and to keep the shame of your
nudity from being seen, and salve to put on
your eyes, that you may see.
Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I
tell their faults and convict and convince
and reprove and chasten [I discipline and
instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in
earnest and burning with zeal and repent
[changing your mind and attitude].
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if
anyone hears and listens to and heeds My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and will eat with him, and he [will eat]
with Me.
He who overcomes (is victorious), I will
grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I
Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat
down beside My Father on His throne. He
who is able to hear, let him listen to and
heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the
assemblies (churches). (Revelation 3:14-22
The Amplified Bible).
Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven
cities of Asia, known for its banking
industry, manufacturing of wool, and a
medical school that produced eye salve.
But the city always had a problem with its
water supply. At one time an aqueduct was
built to bring water to the city from hot
springs. But by the time the water reached
the city, it was neither hot nor refreshingly
cool - only lukewarm. The church had
become as bland as the tepid water that
came into the city.
Lukewarm water is unpalatable. The church
in Laodicea had become lukewarm and
thus distasteful and repugnant. The belie-
vers didn't stand for anything.
Indifference had led them to idleness. By
neglecting to do anything for Christ, the
church had become hardened and self-
satisfied. The church was destroying
itself. Are you lukewarm in your devotion
to God? Some believers falsely assume
that lots of material possessions are a sign
of God's spiritual blessing.
Laodicea was a wealthy city, and the
church was wealthy too. What the
Laodiceans could see and buy had
become more valuable to them than what
is unseen and eternal. Wealth, luxury, and
ease can make people feel confident,
satisfied, and complacent. But no matter
how much you possess or how much
money you make, you have nothing if you
don't have a vital, living relationship with
Christ! Laodicea was known for its great
wealth - but Christ told the Laodiceans to
buy their gold from Him.
The city was proud of its cloth and dyeing
industries - but Christ told them that they
were naked and should purchase white
garments from Him. Laodicea prided itself
on its precious eye salve that healed many
eye problems - but Christ told them to get
medicine from Him to heal their eyes so
they could see the truth!
Christ was showing the Laodiceans that
true value was not in material posses-
sions, but in a right and holy relationship
with God. Their (our) possessions and
achievements were (are) valueless
compared with the everlasting future of
Christ's Kingdom!
Because the Laodicean church was com-
placent and rich, they felt fulfilled, but they
didn't have Christ's Presence among
them! He knocked at the door of their
hearts, but they were so busy enjoying
worldly pleasures that they didn't notice
He was trying to enter.
The pleasures of this world - money,
security, material possessions - can be
dangerous, because their temporary
satisfaction makes us indifferent to God's
offer of lasting satisfaction.
If you find yourself feeling indifferent to
church, to God, or to the Bible, you have
begun to shut God out of your life!
Jesus is knocking on the door of our
hearts every time we sense we should turn
to Him. He wants to have fellowship with
us, and He wants us to open up to Him. He
is patient and persistent in trying to get
through to us - not breaking and entering,
Continued on p. 11Continued on p. 11