Good morning all! Father, while we may not understand all that is true and all that is right we know You do. We trust You and Your providence to guide us to live in Your truth, we won’t trust the arm of our flesh but rather the warmth of Your hands. You are the great Potter and we are Your clay, we pray You will change us to live for Your glory, Amen. Most of will live our lives based on what we believe we know, what we think is right. And if you’re like me, many of my challenges arise from what I don’t know. What don’t you know?
Revelation 3
Rev 3:1 KJV – And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
The angel delivers this message to the church of Sardis, tell the ones that has the 7 spirits of God and the His 7 stars; I know your works, and you live by that name but you’re really dead.
Rev 3:9 KJV – Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
And tell those that are of the church of Satan, they say they’re Christians and are NOT, they lie; they will worship before you, and know what real love is.
Rev 3:17 KJV – Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
They think they’re rich and have plenty, they think their life is just fine, however, what they don’t know is they’re life is a mess, often unhappy, and poor, and blind, and naked;
Rev 3:18 KJV I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
I advise them to only buy gold from ME after it’s been tried by fire, then they’ll be rich; and wear white, and they will no longer appear naked; I will anoint their eyes and they will no longer be blind.
Bottom line
It’s kinda hard, if not impossible to help someone if they believe they don’t need help, right? What I didn’t know was just how much I need God…everyday…every hour…every minute.
Psa 14:2 NIV – The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. This is the message to the church in Revelation, the Lord looks down from heaven to see who will call on Him for help…for guidance…for life. We start with the church of Sardis…the red ones…the carnal church…God says that He knows our WORKS the problem is He don’t know our heart, you know why? We don’t give it to Him, we don’t call out to Him as though He’s the greatest and truly the only thing we need in life. It’s like being married and telling your spouse you took out the trash, washed the dishes and did the laundry and that makes a great marriage. What about the stroll on the beach? What about sharing your dreams? What about the kiss? You see works with No heart isn’t a relationship, it’s just me looking to get credit for my performance. You suppose that’s what God’s after?
Luk 13:27 KJV – But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. Jesus says I DON’T know you…translation…I have NO real relationship with you, depart ALL ye workers of iniquity. Now you know Jesus will NOT reject anyone, what He rejects is that kind of thinking, that lifestyle. What’s He looking for?
Psa 27:8 KJV – When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. God wants us to seek Him of course, not with our works and not with our lips…David said with my HEART. What does our heart speak to God?
Psa 63:3 KJV – Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. It says You alone God are the love of my life, there is nothing better in my life than MY relationship with YOU! If we say we’re Christians but don’t seek God with our heart, we’re just like the church of Philadelphia…we’re living a lie. What’s the lie? I say I’m a Christian but don’t love my neighbor, don’t forgive my neighbor, don’t help my neighbor. Call me crazy but does that sound like a Christian? You know the Christ like one? Why do you think He tells the angel to write these things down? It’s so we don’t forget it! You see, as soon as we think we’ve got life all figured out and we don’t really need to seek God every hour we’re actually blind and we don’t know it. It can be done in complete innocence, it’s just the busyness of life that puts us in that place. Remember, this message was to the church they were praying, reading their bible, going to church and God said you’re actually miserable, naked and BLIND and don’t know it…ignorant…the truth I didn’t know. If you’re like me sometimes I just go through the motions of Christianity, but my heart’s not in it…I have become a worker of iniquity. What’s the iniquity?
Psa 14:4 KJV – Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. We take the matters of life into our own hands…arm of the flesh and we don’t CALL upon God for help.
Psa 70:5 KJV – But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying. No need to take matters into our own hands, we should just tell God that we’re poor and needy, come quick…MY help and MY deliverer…sounds like a relationship that’s solely dependent on God. Why do you think God tells you to buy Gold from Him that’s been tried by fire?
Psa 26:2 KJV – Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. God tries our heart by fire, He changes it so that it will beat for what makes His heart beat…truth and love.
1Pe 1:22 NIV – Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. According to God there is no love apart from truth, they go hand in hand or in this case heart to heart…don’t believe the lie, love all deeply from the heart…that’s truth.
Point to Ponder
What does God know? Psa 51:6 KJV – Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. God knows truth that’s in our INWARD parts, what’s the hidden treasure that will make us wise? LOVE…no other way to make the poor and needy rich.
Let’s all express the truth in our heart, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends
