“For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – Revelation 3:17
What was true of the ancient church in Laodicea is often true of modern churches and Christians in the west. Broadly speaking, we live and work amongst some of the wealthiest people in the wealthiest country to ever exist. By the historical standards of the world, most reading this post are wealthy. You probably know where you will sleep tonight, probably have no doubt your next meal will happen, and obviously possess wondrous electronic devices for accessing social media.
We can easily mistake material comfort and financial prosperity for spiritual health. When things go well in a worldly sense, we often let our bank accounts, homes, vehicles, and myriad other possessions hide our true spiritual poverty: the weakness of our relationship with Christ, the deficiencies of our faith and trust in the Lord. The greatest threat to life-changing, transformational faith lived in obedience to Jesus Christ may well be the false sense of independence brought about by comfort and wealth in this world. When we lack the things of the world, we’re forced to depend on God. When we have abundance, we easily forget that we’re still completely dependent on God. Rather than seeking to work in the strength of Christ, we quickly become content to operate in our own strength and resources. That’s disastrous in a spiritual sense, for churches and for individual Christians.
Take some time to do a spiritual inventory today. Are you fully depending on Jesus as your provider? Or are you reasonably content with the things you have? Is your peace and security derived from your Lord or from your situation? Do you recognize your need – day in and day out – for your Savior? Do you imagine you’ve got things under control or do you easily remember that it is God Who is in control? If you’ve quietly slipped into the mistake of Laodicea, repent of it, go back to relying on the Lord, and #FollowJesus