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Revelation 3:14
Nothing is more important in this life than to know who can be trusted. Every single day it’s an issue for us. Clearly it is fundamentally important within our family and among our friends, but it is also important with our work colleagues, garage mechanics, plumbers, electricians and all the people who play a crucial part in our lives. It is supremely important when it comes to our faith. Who can we trust with our lives and our eternal future? This letter begins with a firm affirmation that the risen Lord Jesus Christ is totally reliable. He is “the Amen”, the God of truth, and he will never let us down. His witness is absolutely true, and he is the one who has ushered in the new creation.
For all of these reasons, the Laodicean church needed to listen hard to the words of the risen Lord. And what they received certainly weren’t the words that they wanted to hear. Laodicea was a successful and wealthy city, and it seems that the church was full of affluent and self-confident people. They thought that they had everything they needed but the Lord tells them they were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). In short, they couldn’t have been more wrong. They had been completely deceived about their true state.
We all need to know the truth about ourselves. Everyone around us might tell us that we are fine and successful, but that might not be the truth. They might have completely the wrong understanding of life. The only one who can be completely relied upon to tell us the truth is the Lord himself. We need to open the Bible and let God speak to us, and when we hear what he has to say, we need to let it change us. In his letter, James talks about the person who listens to the word and fails to do it as being like someone who looks in a mirror and immediately walks away and forgets what he looks like (see James 1:23-24). We need to ensure that when we listen to God’s voice, we then allow his words to change our lives.
QUESTION
How are you going to find out the truth about yourself?
PRAYER
Loving Father, thank you that you know everything about me, and that your words are always full of love. Help me to listen carefully to your voice. Amen
Released on 4 Mar 2023
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