Revelation 3:7-22
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
14 “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 that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” [1]
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What struck me in today’s passage are the words of Jesus to the Laodicean church. Jesus rebukes them for thinking that they are rich while in fact they are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” That’s quite an indictment! And one that they seem to be utterly unaware of.
How can Christians be that naïve and delusional about their spiritual status? Obviously they were basing their opinions of their spiritual wealth on different criteria than what Jesus was using. Jesus doesn’t elaborate on the deficiency that He finds in them, other than pointing out their spiritual lukewarmness. But whatever was going on in Laodicea, Jesus was quite displeased, and so He calls them to repent.
This passage questions us about our own spiritual health. Not just whether we’re hot or cold or lukewarm, but whether we’re aware of our spiritual health at all. Once again, that is the most striking thing in this passage to me, how unaware the Laodiceans were of their need for repentance. Am I in such need? Are you? Am I evaluating my spiritual health by Jesus’ criteria, or my own?
So my prayer is that I may see myself rightly through Jesus’ eyes, that I may see my need for repentance and renewal, and so be led by Him to follow more closely.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Re 3:7–22). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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