Upon assessment of the church in Laodicea as recorded in the third chapter of the Book of Revelation, The Lord could not place them on a particular pedestal. They weren’t hot neither were they cold… They were practically on the fence.
They probably wanted to be children of the Kingdom and children of the world at the same time.
They wanted to be accepted by the world while they carried the name of the Lord as their last name.
They wanted to eat their cake and have it at the same time- impossible. Their identity was not clear.
There is no room for dual citizenship when it comes to Kingdom matters.
You are either in or you are you are out.
Imagine it yourself, can you be (physically) at your work place and in your room at the same time? Definitely not! (Well, except your room is your workplace).
Some have built so-called spiritual empires for themselves. They do not care what their foundation is or what kind of material they build with. They simply want to be known as the zealous brother or sister that everyone should look up to, whereas they have nothing to offer because you cannot give what you do not have. They think they are rich spiritually but God sees them as wretched, empty vessels.
WAIT and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing]. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy] (Is 55v1-2).
It is only God himself that can truly fill up our spirits. It is the Spirit of God that knows the mind of God. He is the one that is in the best position to prescribe what we need to thrive. He is the one that can clothe us with righteousness-not man. God’s standards are different. The wisdom of man is nothing before God. Man is limited. God is the one that can help us see correctly because man is shorthsighted.
Besides, the kingdom we are talking about here is the Kingdom of God not the kingdom of man. God sets the rules!
I once heard the testimony of a brother who was a bible study teacher. Members of the fellowship loved to hear him teach because he taught the Bible really well. He later became the President of the fellowship. It was about the time he was to hand over to a new President before he became born again. He had never given his life to Christ. He simply carried with him the form of godliness. He was not a son of the Kingdom. He was leading several people on a journey that he himself knew nothing about. He was a signpost until he truly surrendered his life to Jesus.
Some people call themselves christians today because they were born to the families of christians or church goers. It does not work like that. You must be born again.
Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God (John 3v3).
I am usually surprised when you ask a christian about his salvation experience and he has nothing to share. There must be a confirmation of your transition from darkness to light. You should be able to point at the point where you turned back from the world into the Kingdom of God.
Also, a christian must remember that whatever he owns has been given him by God. The blessings God blesses us with must never take the place of God- the blesser. That’s idolatry!
Many forget God once they think they are ‘made’. They think they no longer need Him. Jesus said it’ll be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it will be for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Much thought must be put into it.
God disciplines us because He loves us. Yield to His call to be decisive and follow Him with ALL your heart.
A fly cannot sit on a hot stove, it can only sit on a cold one; The devil cannot sit on/in you if you are hot.
Choose to be hot, else God spew you out!
©OMOSEBI Mary Omolola (PhD)
