“Do not fear; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
Dear Ones:
When the Lord Jesus addressed the church of Laodicea in the book of Revelations, chapter 3, He spoke of her as being lukewarm, neither cold or hot. This attitude that she possessed was so displeasing to the Lord, that He said that He would spew her out of His mouth. He also said that He would have her to be either cold or hot, but certainly NOT lukewarm. Why? And how did she arrive at such a condition that the Lord would seek to remedy, for His glory and her blessing?
It seems that the church had “settled down,” and become complacent in her attitude towards the Lord and spiritual things. She had slowly drifted into the attitude of mind where she equated “riches” with spirituality, and “increased goods” with communion with God. It is true that God does bless us at times, and causes our “lines to fall in pleasant places.” (Ps. 16) But Laodicea had come to embrace an attitude of “needing nothing,” even with regard to the Lord. She had exchanged true fellowship with Christ for a dependence upon that which was material. She had become “earthly” oriented, instead of being “heavenly minded.” Thus, the Lord is seen “outside” of the sphere of her life, seeking entrance by knocking at the door.
To go back to the Lord’s reaction to such a “lukewarm” attitude, let us examine more closely the question, “why?” Perhaps an illustration using “wormwood and gall,” as opposed to the “sweetness” of fellowship with God, will help in our understanding. In the Bible, “wormwood and gall” are used to speak of bitterness, both of experience and circumstances. They refer principally to the contrast between true fellowship with God, and the rejection of such a relationship. Life at times can be like the wormwood and gall, but the contrast of knowing Christ, and communing with Him, is like the beauty of the lily and the sweetness of the honeycomb. L.M.R. Stead wrote: “Yes, ’tis SWEET to trust in Jesus, Just from sin and self to cease; Just from Jesus simply taking, Life, and rest, and joy, and peace.” Though that which is material can “ease” the difficulties, and suffering, in this world, there is no comparison between it, and the experience of knowing and loving Christ. John Newton wrote the following: “How SWEET the name of Jesus sounds, In a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.” The contrast in blessing that Christ desires to give, born out of fellowship with Him, is as great as heaven is high above the earth. Christ has proven that he desires, and wills, to give that which is the greatest, most blessed and precious of all gifts. It is HIMSELF, nothing more, nothing less. To exchange Him for that which is material is a travesty indeed.
Dear Father, save us from believing that the “blessing” can replace the One who blesses. Ever give us grace to keep the door of our hearts wide open, so the Son of God has full and consistent access to our hearts. Be to us our Majestic Sweetness this day, Thou who art enthroned in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad