HOW INDIFFERENCE AFFECTS JESUS -- Tomorrow:
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." (Rev 3:14-22)
Devotion 12 of 20
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich . . . "
Earthly riches do not bring spiritual advantages – in fact, they CANNOT bring spiritual advantages! No man is "better" before God because he has a lot of this world's riches. Money does not make it more likely that a person will dwell forever in the courts of the Lord. You cannot get more grace because you have more money. Money adds no weight to your prayers. A lot of money does not make it easier to avoid sin. The riches of this world do not weaken temptation or neutralize the power of the devil. You cannot understand the Bible better because you are rich. No person receives more mercy because they have a larger supply of money. Financial stability cannot cause spiritual maturity. Who is it that does not know these things?
It makes little difference how loud charlatans may shout on this point, riches "are corrupted" (James 5:2), i.e., they are destined to pass away – to "perish" (1 Pet 1:7). If we doubt this, Solomon will confirm this to be the case. Having possessed riches in abundance, by the blessing of God, he said "Riches profit not in the day of wrath" (Prov 11:4), "Labor not to be rich" (Prov 23:4), "For riches are not for ever" (Prov 27:24), and "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity" (Eccl 5:10).
Whatever may be said of earthly riches, they are not to be the focus of our attention. Of themselves, they bring no eternal advantage. It is ONLY as they are approached as a stewardship from God that they can become a source of blessing. Laodicea was a rich city, and the church there had been deluded into thinking they too had become rich, having need of nothing. However, as they sat in their wealth, heaven saw them as wretched and poor!
Jesus has gold that has passed the test of Divine judgment. It has been "tried in the fire." Preeminently, this is faith, which is infinitely more precious than gold. As it is written, "These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Pet 1:7, NIV). God is not glorified by gold. However, He is glorified by a strong faith, and gold and silver cannot enhance faith to any degree.
The worth of a person, or a church, is measured by its faith. Little faith, little value. Much faith, much wealth and worth! Such richness is available from Jesus, and from Jesus alone! Such faith is not distributed upon the basis of worldly possessions, and those who receive it may not receive much in this world – yet they will be "rich." James, the brother of our Lord, affirmed a great Kingdom principle, or law, not often declared by religious opportunists. "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love him?" (James 2:5). Those who are "poor in the eyes of the world" are not merely those who have no riches. It includes those who do not place a preeminent worth upon them – who do not set their minds on amassing the wealth of this world. Such insightful souls place a higher worth on riches that will transfer to the next world.
Those who "buy" this refined gold from Jesus must relinquish a corrupted sense of values. They are asked to "deny" themselves in preference of the glory of their Lord. To be rich before God, they must abandon the pursuit of temporal things, and "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt 6:33). The riches of this world disappear when the Lord but blows upon them (Isa 40:24). The true riches stand the test of Divine scrutiny, and constitute one "rich" in the eyes of the Lord. What a contrast we have here. The church in Smyrna was poor in this world, yet "rich" in God's eyes (2:9). The church in Laodicea was rich in this world, yet "poor" in Christ's eyes! The reason for this condition – they had NOT been receiving from Jesus! What about you?
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I seek the transcendent riches that will remain after the earth and all of its substance has passed away.