Was heading out to play racquetball yesterday. On the way I was praying, “God, help me. Please manifest yourself through me. Manifest your love, your power, your wisdom, and your patience. Allow me to trust in you and your promise that all things work together for good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose.” Then I said, “I’m here with the open hands of a beggar, Lord. I have nothing without you. I can’t even want your will without you overcoming my fleshly will.”
Praying as a beggar made me remember something out of Revelation 3 where Jesus addresses the Laodicean church and calls their lukewarm members “poor and blind and naked”. He advises them to buy from him gold refined by fire that they may become rich, and white garments so that they may be clothed and the shame of their nakedness not be revealed, and ointment for their eyes that they may see.
As I pondered the verses something Jesus said stood out to me. First, He’s addressing people who are poor and blind, BUT THEY DON’T KNOW IT! Because they’re blind, they don’t know that they’re poor, blind, and naked. And yet Jesus is still telling them to buy from Him the things that will cure their condition and give them true riches. So, even in the midst of their lukewarm condition, their ignorance and resultant apathy, Jesus meets them with a hope-filled admonition. It should be noted, though, what He doesn’t tell them. He doesn’t tell them to open their eyes and look at their condition. No, He virtually says “in the midst of your ignorance, in which you don’t know that you’re poor, blind, and naked, buy from Me and become rich”.
This is remarkable to me. I met a young man the other day who told me that he believed everything in the Bible. He believed that he was a sinner, that Jesus is God, and that He died for our sins. He believed it all! And yet he was apathetic. He had no fire for the Lord. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with this information he apparently believes. What do you say to a guy like him?
Next time I see him I’m going to point him to Revelation 3 and tell him there’s hope, even for him. He needs to come to Jesus and confess that he has been satisfied with life apart from God and ask God to grant him Gold and Clothing and Ointment for his eyes so that he can see himself from God’s perspective. So he can see the true nature of his condition, that he has not been rich, but poor.
As an additional note, I want to focus on the Gold, White Garments, and Ointment. What are these things? What makes us truly rich? What greater riches are there than God Himself? Gold refined by fire. Jesus was refined by fire wasn’t He? What White Garments can clothe us so that the shame of our nakedness would not be revealed in judgement? What greater garment could we be clothed with than the righteousness of Christ Himself? Are we not clothed with Him? And what eye ointment can cure our blindness better than the Holy Spirit Who opens our eyes to the word of God?
The riches we have been given freely are so wonderful. These are the only truly priceless treasures to be found anywhere in the universe, and their cost is infinitely high. I remember Ed Moore making the point that the only thing we have to give is our poverty; our poor, blind, naked selves. This is true, but this isn’t the currency that covers the cost of the gift, for even a gift must be paid for by someone. But never by the receiver!
When a poor, blind, naked beggar comes to the Great Merchant who is selling His wares of Gold, White Clothing, and Eye Salve he has no money to pay for them. Eternal praise is due Jesus who paid with the currency of His infinitely valuable blood! He gave us the Greatest Gift of all, His life! And then the beggar would truly be able to say, “now I am rich and wealthy and have need of nothing”!
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” 2Peter 1:3
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.
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