LOOK IN THE MIRROR

"You say, "I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!" And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from Me – gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I am the One who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference." Revelation 3:17-19

Have you ever met anyone who did nothing but boast about their successes and gains in life? Maybe you have done it yourself. For it’s so easy to fall into the temptation of self reliance, self promotion and self worship. After all, we work hard in life to earn what we have and the world would drive us to reach a point when we can relax and enjoy the fruits of our labors…whether we reach that point early in life or get to where we can retire and say, "I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!"

Jesus warns that there is a danger in focusing so much on what we attain and emphasizing our material gain at the expense of looking at our character and the kind of person we are. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21) For so many people, money and possessions are their treasure and thus their hearts are centered on them. They place their personal value on how much they have outside of themselves at the expense of realizing they are spiritually bankrupt.

Jesus sums it up as He tells the Laodician church that they "don’t realize they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." For anyone not living in the Lord but in the world, this statement would seem like craziness. One would ask, "How could the Lord say this? Has He not paid attention to my home? My car? My bank account?" The truth of the matter is that the Lord can say it because He has paid attention…attention to that person’s soul and how rich they are in Him and His Spirit.

Question: If the Lord looked in your heart this very moment, would He see that you feel you couldn’t make through each day without Him? Would He see that He is the treasure of your heart? If your answer to the questions is "no", then Jesus offers some direction to get our lives back where they need to be.

First, Jesus tells us to put some ointment on our eyes so we will be able to see. Before we can make the right changes to our lives and begin to please God, we need to have the ability to look within.

Next, Jesus directs us to buy "gold" from Him…and not just any gold but purified gold. Jesus only deals with perfection and only He can give you pure treasure for your heart…only He can make you rich.

And finally, Jesus orders the Laodicians to buy "white garments" so they would not be shamed by their nakedness. For Jesus knows that when we are exposed for who we truly are…when we truly look within, we will be ashamed of our sinfulness and feel "naked" (exposed). The only way to escape our nakedness is to clothe ourselves in righteousness…to don "white garments".

Question: So where do you stand in regard to your value system in life? Jesus would ask that you step back and take a real good look in the mirror…a look into who you are on the inside. Remember He can already see there so you’re only kidding yourself by not evaluating objectively. Seek yourself, root out any matters that are not in accordance with God's Word and Will, and start today to reach a place of spiritual wealth…a place where we are rich in our Savior, the One who holds the key to eternal riches in Heaven.

In Christ,

Mark

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