Revelation 3:14-22:“And to the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True
Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because
you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not
know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from
Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you
may be clothed, that the
shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye
salve, that you may see. As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who
overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat
down with My Father on His throne. “He, who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.”’”
I think it is easy to get scared today. We make a comment
that we think is based on truth, and we are quickly attacked for being
insensitive or incorrect. We find people afraid to discuss religion with us for
fear they may seem too religious! Around the world, societies are headed toward
freedom of worship, which means you can practice your religion all you want to
behind closed church doors, but don’t try to bring your beliefs into the
workplace or schools or even into your decision making if those beliefs don’t
jive with whatever the current political climate is for now. It is easy to
become afraid. It is even easier to give in and act as neutral as everyone
else. God tells us how He feels about
the neutral. He vomits them out of His mouth.
It has always been difficult to follow God,
especially when societies in various times in history were wealthy. Notice in
our Bible passage that the wealth of the people is specifically given as the
reason for their demise. When we are in a pitiable state, we turn to God for
help, having nowhere else to go. When we are thriving and “have it all” we tend
to turn to money and all it can buy for pleasure and happiness. When we have
many things, we fear losing them. We
become afraid. What if I make it known I am a devout Catholic and then I apply
for a job at a university and they won’t hire me because of my conservative
stand and beliefs? All I worked for is gone. What if I apply to a pharmaceutical
company and get the job and then discover they make abortion inducing drugs? Do
I have to quit? I mean, I am not making them! What if I own a very large
company and must supply my employees with health insurance I feel is wrong in
its coverage. I cannot go out of business, can I? This, my friends, is the
world we live in.
It was the same in the days of the Old Testament and in Jesus’
time. If Daniel and his friends refused to worship the king, they would be
killed. If others refused to eat meat which had been offered to idols, they
would be killed. If Lutherans in Hitler’s Germany did not support the Church Hitler
restructured, they were sent to concentration camps and many died. We
cannot buy into the belief that the world today is worse than ever. It simply
is morally worse than any of us can remember. So what to do?
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with
him, and he with Me. God
gives us the answer so clearly and sweetly. Just listen to Me, He says. I am
asking you to let Me into your heart. I am asking you to choose Me, so that you
may overcome those who oppress you.
See? We have to choose God. We have to choose to stand
firm in our belief. We will die, all of us. We do not take our possessions or
public recognition with us. We simply take the little report card of our lives,
and stand before God with it outstretched for Him to see. If we have lived for
man and his crazy ways, we will be poor in the eyes of God, but if we have
lived for God and stood firmly for Him here on earth, we will have been refined in
the fire and will appear before God rich in splendor! The world is a tough
place today for Catholics, but do not become weak in the face of adversity. Be
tough, be bold, be brave and be true to your faith, and remember, “To him who
overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne.”
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