Revelations 3: The Laodiceans

God writes a letter to the people of the church in Laodicea. The members are described as wealthy men and women of society. However, they are also described as Lukewarm; neither hot nor cold. This means that they are sitting on the fence divided between good and evil. Instead of making of firm choice to live for God; or the choice to completely reject God. They choice to go between the two opposing camps. One time proclaiming that they are Christians and how much they love God; the next minute, doing and participating in activities that are directly opposing to the will of Christ. Through their conduct, they knowingly reject the light, the knowledge of God that has been granted to them in favour of worldly treasure and status amongst others in the world. They have the form of godliness but reject the power therein. Such behaviour is detrimental to the christian faith, as these individuals with their wishy washy faith tend to not only confuse themselves but other meaningful encounters with new believers and potential believers, who find it hard to understand, why they say/promote one thing but do the complete opposite. For this reason God says: I will spur you out of my mouth. Meaning, God rejects them completely. He will not condone nor put up with their antics. There is no middle ground with God. You are either for Him or against Him. By not living up to the light that God has given yo, you automatically, disqualify/disconnect yourself from God. Therefore putting yourself on the opposing team. Verse 17 goes on to describe the true nature of these individuals. At face value they seem to have the appearance of well dressed, charming, elegant people. However, underneath all that superfical fascard, God describes their inner character as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Wretched = worthless. This means God has rejected you, you are no longer his child. You are like an orphan. miserable = unhappy. Without God in your life you can never be truly happy. You can have all the gold in the world, drink all you want, buy all you want, party all you want, but you will always be found wanting, lonely and unhappy because what your spirit yearns for is God. You were created to be with God, when you eliminate God from your life you internally kill yourself and any chances of real joy. Substituting God for other world things only brings about temporary happiness. poor = spiritually poor. You have nothing. You may have tons of cash in the bank but you don't have Jesus. You don't even have a trusting and loving relationship with him and that makes you poor. Blind = spiritually blind. You have difficulty perceiving right from wrong. Your conscience over time becomes oppressed and your heart hardened to sin. You find joy, entertainment and fun, in evil, filthy, sinful things. Righteousness or doing what is right feels wrong for you. It goes against your nature. Doing what is godly and holy is boring, unpleasant. Living a godly life is deemed as an obstruction, a prison with too many restrictions. Naked = shameful/despicable. With God no longer leading and guiding you. You starting doing whatever is right in your own eyes. This leads to you doing shameful and filthy things. This not only make you an embarrassment to yourself but to your family, friends and others around you. Therefore in verse 18 God offers the Loadiceans to buy gold from him; meaning, to find their treasure in him. By making God their treasure, not only will you find real joy and happy but also a deep sense of peace. God also offers a white raiment, signifying his righteousness. A new white garment, meaning a new life with Christ, the forgiveness of your sins and the erasing of your past life. He also offers eye salve, that you can see. That signifies seeing life with new eyes, from a new perspective. Seeing sin and sinful behaviour for what it truly is and calling sin, sin and not saying its good, when its actually bad. The eye salve also represents a restored knowledge and ability to perceive the difference between right from wrong and to do what is right. 

Finally, Jesus is standing at the door of your heart and knocking. God wants to renew his relationship with you. He wants to come in and sup with you. Meaning, he wants to commune with you on an intimate and personal levels. He wants to reconnect with you. He wants to adopt you has his own. He stands at your door with his arms wide open, but before he can do anything, you and you only can open the door of your heart to let him in. Will you choose to let God in today?

Revelation 3 - Sardis

God writes a letter to the people in the church of Sardis. The people in this particular church is spiritually dead. They have no meaningful relationship with God. The people however are misguided. They believe that they are spiritually alive, awake because of their works but in reality they are dead. The people in the church of Sardis represents Christians of first world countries, whose lives are so hectic and comfortable that they lose all meaningful connection and dependence on God. We are so busy with our jobs, careers, families, hobbies, technologies, wealth, blogs and facebook accounts that we dont have time for God. We are always in a rush or preoccupied with others things that although we read the bible, it has very little meaning, although we pray, its not heartfelt, it lacks passion and sincerity. Although we go to church, it lacks motivation. Inspite all the spiritual things we say and do, it fails to inspire or revival or hearts into true repents and commitment. As a result, our actions become void of meaning. We do things out tradition and habit. And in the case of the church of Sardis, we become lost in our actions: Thinking that because we attend church every week, because we give sabbath school lessons, because we pay our tithe that we are alive, when in fact we are pretty much dead. Stuck in our ways, having hearts of stone, that constantly rejects God's word, God's leading and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For this reason, God warns us, the church of Sardis to be careful of our spiritual slumber. As for those of us who continue to sleep, his return will come upon us like a thief in the night. And we will be like the 5 foolish virgins who were not prepared for the Lord's return. 

Confucius’ Proverb

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8:9

The ancient Chinese sage Confucius once taught: “If you devote your life to seeking revenge, first dig two graves.” It’s true, isn’t it? When I refuse to forgive the one who has wronged me and instead spend my energies and my life seeking to get even, I end up destroying myself as well, do I not?

In his book The Sunflower Simon Wiesenthal not only relates the dark story of his youthful decision not to accept a dying Nazi solder’s plea for forgiveness -  he also includes the responses of 53 distinguished men and women to his query, “What would you have done?” One of those respondents was best selling author and rabbi Harold Kushner, who in his essay tells the story of a woman in his congregation: “She is a single mother, divorced, working to support herself and three young children. She says to me, ‘since my husband walked out on us, every month is a struggle to pay our bills. I have to tell my kids we have no money to go to the movies, while he’s living it up with his new wife in another state. How can you tell me to forgive him?’ I answer her, ‘I’m not asking you to forgive him because what he did was acceptable. It wasn’t; it was mean and selfish. I’m asking you to forgive because he doesn’t deserve the power to live in your head and turn you into a bitter, angry woman. I’d like to see him out of your life emotionally as completely as he is out of it physically, but you keep holding on to him. You’re not hurting him by holding on to that resentment, but you’re hurting yourself’” (pp.185, 186).

You may be one of those who have been severely wounded at the hands of another. The pain you have suffered is so sharp, so deep, so close to the surface that it now throbs into nearly every waking hour of the day. Sometimes deep inside of you cries out for vengeance. And so you refuse to forgive so hurtful a wound so evil a wounder. But is it worth it in the end?

The rabbi and the sage are right. We destroy ourselves when we refuse to forgive. The Man on the center cross not only forgave us in His prayer – He forgave our perpetrators, too. Perhaps then it will be His greatest healing when we learn not only to pray for our own forgiveness, but also to pray for the forgiveness of our enemies.

Dwight Nelson – The Chosen

Back to the Simple Life with Bill Pearce Nightsounds

STRESS, one of the major causes of broken marriage, relationships and people. Listen to the experience and tips from others who have gone down that road before. Learn how you too can slow down, reduce some of those pressure points and just enjoy life more.

Amazing Grace

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
   That saved a wretch like me!
   I once was lost, but now am found;
   Was blind, but now I see.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
   And grace my fears relieved;
   How precious did that grace appear
   The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
   I have already come;
   ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
   His Word my hope secures;
   He will my Shield and Portion be,
   As long as life endures.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
   And mortal life shall cease,
   I shall possess, within the veil,
   A life of joy and peace.
6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
   But God, who called me here below,
   Will be forever mine.
7. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
   Bright shining as the sun,
   We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
   Than when we’d first begun.

You are Beautiful

1. You are beautiful. 

I am beautiful. No whatever what others may say, do, or think. I must not and will not allow their looks, insults and demeanor to bring me down. Although my complexion may resemble dirt to them, in Christ I am a beautiful creature. I am loved, I am intelligent and I am understood. I am beautifully and wonderfully made. Its not based on how I look, what I say, what I have, what I do or what I can offer. But because I am part of him. I was made in his image, which makes me apart of his divine family. He tells me, before you came out of your mother's womb I loved you. I gave my life for you. He says, love me as I have loved you. Give me your all. Trust me. You can depend on me. I will never leave you nor forsake you. For I love you with an undying love. 

1. Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
   Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,
   When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
   • Refrain:
     I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
     For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
2. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
   And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
   Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
3. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
   When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
   I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.