{"id":648,"date":"2017-10-27T05:30:12","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T13:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=648"},"modified":"2017-10-27T05:30:12","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T13:30:12","slug":"devotion-revelation-314-22-letters-to-the-seven-churches-laodicea-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=648","title":{"rendered":"Devotion\u00a0\u00a0 Revelation 3:14-22\u00a0 \u00a0Letters To The Seven Churches, Laodicea\u00a0 Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Revelation 3:14-22 <\/strong>–\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cTo the angel of the church in Laodicea\u00a0write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,\u00a0the ruler of God\u2019s creation.\u00a015\u00a0I know your deeds,\u00a0that you are neither cold nor hot.\u00a0I wish you were either one or the other!\u00a016\u00a0So, because you are lukewarm\u2014neither hot nor cold\u2014I am about to spit you out of my mouth.\u00a017\u00a0You say, \u2018I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.\u2019\u00a0But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.\u00a018\u00a0I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,\u00a0so you can become rich; and white clothes\u00a0to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;\u00a0and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19\u00a0Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.\u00a0So be earnest and repent.\u00a020\u00a0Here I am! I stand at the door\u00a0and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,\u00a0I will come in\u00a0and eat with that person, and they with me. 21\u00a0To the one who is victorious,\u00a0I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,\u00a0just as I was victorious\u00a0and sat down with my Father on his throne.\u00a022\u00a0Whoever has ears, let them hear\u00a0what the Spirit says to the churches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c15\u00a0I know your deeds,\u00a0that you are neither cold nor hot.\u00a0I wish you were either one or the other!\u00a016\u00a0So, because you are lukewarm\u2014neither hot nor cold\u2014I am about to spit you out of my mouth.\u00a017\u00a0You say, \u2018I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.\u2019\u00a0But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0 In V14<\/strong> Jesus reminded them who was talking to them.\u00a0 He reminded that He is their creator (John 1:3<\/strong>), the one who holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17<\/strong>), that He is THE Faithful and True Witness (V4<\/strong>).\u00a0 What He says is truth and what He says will happen (Ezekiel 12:35, Isaiah 14:24<\/strong>).\u00a0 Then He says to them \u201cI know your deeds<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0 To most of us who honestly assess all the things that we do, and all the things we don\u2019t do, these four words could be very chilling.\u00a0 As we honestly assess all of our priorities, let\u2019s reiterate the two words \u201chonestly assess\u201d and add \u201cfully assess\u201d, how do our actions stand up?\u00a0 How does our obedience stand up?\u00a0 What are our priorities and what we profess as our priorities, are they lived out? Laodicea, of all the seven churches that Jesus addressed in this book, most represents the modern church.\u00a0 We must remember that the letters are not written only to the churches as a whole, but they, all of them, are also written to all us as individuals.\u00a0 Jesus wrote to these seven churches and gave them a report card.\u00a0 If He individually sent us report cards how would we individually do?\u00a0 What is it that we know we should not do but that we continually do?\u00a0 What is it that we should be doing, but do not do?\u00a0 When we do good works, when we minister, do we do them out of obligation, duty or because it is our job?\u00a0 Are the things that we do the best plans that we<\/em> can come up with?\u00a0 Are we self-reliant on our education, experience, intelligence or resourcefulness and so we have plans, systems, processes but we leave Jesus out of it.\u00a0 Oh, maybe we say a habitual or obligatory prayer.\u00a0 Do we do good works that genuinely are well intentioned good works, but are planned out, and carried out without the love of God genuinely empowering the work through the Holy Spirit?\u00a0 Family, that very way is the way of the church of the Laodiceans.\u00a0 They were educated, wealthy and self-reliant.\u00a0 It is not that they did not do good works, meaning things that were good things to do.\u00a0 The problem is that the good works generated from self and not from God. They judged and pronounced judgement, action, without consulting God or allowing His great love to flow.\u00a0 They felt themselves self-sufficient.\u00a0 They probably affirmed to each other all of their great abilities and told each other \u201cYou got this!\u201d\u00a0 They moved in self-reliance.\u00a0 Self-reliance is arrogance and foolishness (Luke 12:20<\/strong>). In all our ways we are to know that in self we are weak, but in God we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10<\/strong>).\u00a0 All means all.\u00a0 We never \u201chave this\u201d except through the abilities and blessings God provides (Proverbs 3:4-5<\/strong>).\u00a0 Are there good deeds that benefit people, that are done by man, without seeking God?\u00a0 Absolutely!\u00a0 The questions are: Has God ordained the work?\u00a0 Are they done with the love of God?\u00a0 Is God glorified?\u00a0 Does the Word of God confirm it?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Laodiceans were self-reliant.\u00a0 They were their own idols. Disciples of Christ are called to serve only God and have no room in their hearts or minds for any other (Exodus 20:3<\/strong>).\u00a0 The Laodiceans had lost their fire, relied on their own selves, and trusted only their own selves.\u00a0 They served their gods that were themselves, and they left very little room to serve God.\u00a0 In fact, His voice had become very strange to them.<\/p>\n

The Lord spoke with \u201ctough love\u201d to the Laodiceans. He told them that they were \u201cwretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0 Family, if God wrote each of us a letter would He have to correct us for self-reliance?\u00a0 Would He have to say to us that we started out a good ministry with Him, but then we excluded Him from the meeting invites?\u00a0 Do we push forward without Him and His Word?\u00a0 I pray it not be so.\u00a0 I fear it is more prevalent in our lives than we prefer to admit.\u00a0 Let us go on with Jesus, who desires to equip, provide for and bless all that we do in His name.\u00a0 If we minister, may every single act of ministry we do be as the Word of God and as God Himself leads us. Then the ministries we do will be blessed.\u00a0 Then they will glorify God.\u00a0 Then He will bless us.\u00a0 God is the great I AM, the great Provider in all things (Philippians 4:19<\/strong>).\u00a0 Let us do all things within His will and by His blessing.\u00a0 \u201cWhere God guides, God provides.\u201d\u00a0 Family, we want it no other way.\u00a0 Praise our God who loves us so.\u00a0 Praise our God who loves us so much that He will correct us (Hebrews 12:6, Proverbs 3:12<\/strong>).\u00a0 Thank you Lord for the great love and blessings you shower us with (2 Corinthians 9:8<\/strong>).\u00a0 We are immersed in Your love and desire to be nowhere else (Psalm 23:6<\/strong>).\u00a0 Please keep us obedient.\u00a0 There is no better place to be then in Your gaze (Numbers 6:25-26<\/strong>).\u00a0 We need you!\u00a0 We love you!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/strong>\u00a0– But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Revelation 3:14-22 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cTo the angel of the church in Laodicea\u00a0write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,\u00a0the ruler of God\u2019s creation.\u00a015\u00a0I know your deeds,\u00a0that you are neither cold nor hot.\u00a0I wish you were either one or the other!\u00a016\u00a0So, because you are lukewarm\u2014neither hot nor cold\u2014I am about to spit you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[1863,129,2257,705,104,103,100,106,94,1874,1871,88,17,711],"class_list":["post-648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-colossians","tag-corinthians","tag-exodus","tag-ezekiel","tag-hebrews","tag-isaiah","tag-john","tag-luke","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-philippians","tag-proverbs","tag-psalm","tag-revelation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":649,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions\/649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}