“Those whom I love I
rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest and repent.”
Revelation 3:19 (NIV)
God
speaks these words to the church at Laodicea through John. Earlier in the
passage, He tells this church that is lukewarm—“neither hot nor cold.” God
explains he will react to their deeds by “spitting you out of my mouth.”
The
people don’t understand their condition of being wretched, pitiful, poor, and
naked. The heavenly Father advises the church to partake of good things He has
to offer in order to “hide (their) shamefulness and to heal their spiritual
blindness.
Next, He
speaks the words of our focus verse. What does He say? He explains that He
rebukes those He loves. To rebuke another person, one criticizes sharply or
reprimands. When a person administers discipline,
he or she uses the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of
behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. It would seem to me that
the use of reprimands and the training of people go hand in hand.
God
continues to tell the people of Laodicea what actions they can take to get back
right with God. He simply tells them to be honest about how they have
displeased Him and then tells them to turn away from those practices.
Jesus
told the woman He saved from stoning to “Go and sin no more.” I believe that is
what God is saying to the church at Laodicea and to us today.
There is always hope when we turn to (or back to) Him. So grateful for His loving care and instruction.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is ALWAYS hope. Without hope, I couldn't navigate. He loves us in spite of our bad days and bad moods. God is good;all the time.
DeleteI believe so too Cecelia, God has not changed, He still wants to guide and correct us (through His Holy Spirit).
ReplyDeleteMarja: We read in our Bibles that God "is the same yesterday, today and forever," I believe that; I have relied on that many times. But, I also have had times when I had to be reminded that He is near and ready to guide me. Blessings on you and yours.
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