Life was great for the Laodiceans. Business was wonderful, prosperity was abounding, and they flourished with riches. They had the best chariots, top-of-the-line clothing, the finest food from the markets, and palatial homes with plenty of acreage. What else could they possibly want or need — lest it be an increase in the things they already possessed? They were rich, had gotten riches, and had, in their opinion, “need of nothing<\/em>” (Revelation 3:17).<\/p>\n But this was their assessment of life. Jesus had a completely different view of these brethren. He looks beyond the facade of materialism and peers deeply into the hearts and souls of men. He looks beyond the outward appearance and observes an entirely different person beneath the fabric of worldly success. As with our heavenly Father on whose throne Jesus sits, “there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and laid open before<\/em>”\u00a0His kingly omniscient eyes (see Hebrews 4:13). Jesus, as manifested in a vision to John in his glorified state, walks among the churches, the seven golden lampstands, and tells each of these churches in one form or another, “I know thy works<\/em>” (see Revelation 2-3).<\/p>\n What Jesus saw and knew about the Laodiceans was not very flattering. His eyes, as flames of fire with a piercing look into their lives and souls, saw brethren that were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. These were saints who had not wholly forsaken the Lord. They were not cold, but neither were they hot; they were, Jesus said, “lukewarm<\/em>” (Revelation 3:16). And in this state, Jesus found them repulsive — so much so that he wanted to “spew” or vomit them out of his mouth (Revelation 3:16).<\/p>\n Our Lord’s message to them intended to open their eyes to what has real value. He counseled them to buy from Him real gold refined by fire — treasures in heaven that would make them genuinely rich (Matthew 6:19); to outfit themselves with divinely designed garments of white — the righteous acts of the saints that cover the shame of man’s nakedness (Revelation 19:8); to anoint their eyes with spiritual salve — the word of God that pierces their souls and opens their eyes to what the mirror of God reveals about who they really are (see Hebrews 4:12; James 1:25).<\/p>\n The Lord’s issue with the Laodiceans is an age-old problem of spiritual blindness — the inability of Christians to examine themselves honestly to see themselves as God sees them,\u00a0as the word of God portrays them, and as they really are. Paul tells\u00a0the Corinthians to “try yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves<\/em>” (II Corinthians 13:5). Christians can do this only when they can look into God’s perfect law of liberty, the mirror of His word, and see a true reflection of themselves. But many of us are unable to do this. We’re good morally, faithful to our families, attend services regularly, and think of ourselves as having “need of nothing<\/em>.” Life in Christ is so much more than this.<\/p>\n So many among us fail to study earnestly to prepare ourselves to teach others the gospel; we do not pray fervently for all the needs of the church and its members individually; we overlook the need to have visitors and new members into our homes; we ignore Bible class material and\u00a0the study it demands to complete\u00a0the questions; we make little effort\u00a0to give friends or neighbors tracts\u00a0to read or to invite them to gospel\u00a0meetings; we have no Bible studies\u00a0in our homes with our children; we notice visitors but make no move to introduce ourselves and to make them feel comfortable and welcome in our assemblies.<\/p>\n We’re comfortable in our jobs, enjoy our vacations, and never miss going\u00a0to the amusement parks, bowling, golfing, fishing, or canoe floating.\u00a0We are diligent to keep up with our investments and mutual funds. We find time to shop and keep up with\u00a0the latest fashions, watch movies and our favorite TV shows, and spend hours upon hours on our iPads. So many of us, brethren, are\u00a0 comfortable with life, have what we need materially, and have that mindset\u00a0that we “have need of nothing<\/em>.” If we’re honest and willing to confess it, how many of us could say that this thought has crossed our minds?<\/p>\n But so many of us desperately need some eye salve that will heal our blindness and open our eyes to the message of our Lord, who says plainly, brethren, “Be zealous therefore, and repent<\/em>.” This opens the doors of our hearts and lives to intimate communion and fellowship with our Lord (Revelation 3:19-20).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by L. A. Stauffer via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 Life was great for the Laodiceans. Business was wonderful, prosperity was abounding, and they flourished with riches. They had the best chariots, top-of-the-line clothing, the finest food from the markets, and palatial homes with plenty of acreage. What else could they possibly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1276],"class_list":["post-69722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-spiritual-blindness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20102,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/learning-the-secret-of-contentment\/","url_meta":{"origin":69722,"position":0},"title":"Learning the Secret of Contentment","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ken Green \u201cNot that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content\u201d (Philippians 4:11, ESV). Do you find contentment to be elusive? Be encouraged. Even the apostle Paul realized being content was something he had to learn. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/contentment-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41966,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-i-need-to-tell-future-boyfriends-that-i-sinned-sexually-in-the-past\/","url_meta":{"origin":69722,"position":1},"title":"Do I need to tell future boyfriends that I sinned sexually in the past?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I am 29 years old. I came to know Jesus when I was 15. I have waited almost half of my life to have a boyfriend because I don't want to miss God's plan for my life. However, I met a guy who has a different faith, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58142,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/money-myth-debunked-money-management-is-the-key\/","url_meta":{"origin":69722,"position":2},"title":"Money Myth Debunked: Money Management is the KEY!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by William C. Sexton In the January 6th, 2004 Fort Smith newspaper, Southwest Times Record, Mary Hunt had a list of MYTHS about money, which Lois read to me and I was impressed with most of them, especially the first one. Let us examine it, and then make some valid\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40044,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-be-successful-in-your-work-what-constitutes-overworking\/","url_meta":{"origin":69722,"position":3},"title":"Is it a sin to be successful in your work? What constitutes overworking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What does the Bible mean by overworking? Is it a sin to want to be successful in terms of your job? And by that I mean, for example, I have a dream of starting a business and making it one of the most successful businesses with regard to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58293,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-needles-eye\/","url_meta":{"origin":69722,"position":4},"title":"The Needle\u2019s Eye","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 21, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Irvin Himmel A rich young ruler came running to Jesus and, kneeling before the Master, posed the question, \"Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?\" Jesus called attention to some of the basic commands of the law. The young man answered, \"Master, all these\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/01\/needles-eye-gate.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63673,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-you-need-to-serve-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":69722,"position":5},"title":"What Do You Need to Serve the Lord?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 28, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0John 4:34-38 - Jesus told his disciples to serve the Lord by bringing others to Him \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mt. 28:19-20 - Commanded to go into all the world. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We all have this responsibility. II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, many find excuses to not work. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not eloquent enough to be of any\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69722\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}