A Pastor's Blog

Which One Will It Be???

We have entered the month of May which means warmer, longer days lay ahead of us for about the next 5 months or so. I am not a cold person; I would rather have it a bit warmer, but living in Las Vegas, there is no such thing as a bit warmer; it gets down right hot in Vegas.

That being said, I still enjoy the long summer days which in turn bring wonderful evenings. I enjoy sitting outside on our patio in the evening and enjoying the warm nights. We have a mister on our patio so if it gets too hot, I can always go turn on the mister so it can cool it off a bit. Don’t get me wrong, by the end of a long hot Summer in Vegas, I am pretty much ready for the cold days.

One of the many difficult passages we find in the Scriptures; by difficult I mean speaking truth we may not want to hear, is found in Revelation 3:14-22. The Lord is speaking some very difficult words of truth to the church at Laodicea. The Lord is chastising the saints there because their deeds/works were neither hot nor cold but instead lukewarm. The Lord says He wished their deeds/works were either hot or cold but because they were lukewarm, He was about to spit them out of His mouth. The issue was the church in Laodicea had acquired so much wealth, they felt they didn’t need anything, not even the Lord, and that my friend is a very dangerous place to be as a believer.

I don’t believe its the Lord’s heart for anyone to be poor or in need but we would never know and appreciate the Lord’s provision, His love and care for us, His healing touch and comfort if we never experienced a need in life. I don’t care how much money or wealth we may attain in this life, we can never attain enough to not need the Lord.

Money or wealth can never replace the gentle touch of the Lord in our lives in a time of deep need. Money/wealth can never buy peace, love or happiness, though many have tried to.

The hot trials of life come so they will build our faith and cause us to draw near to the Lord. I have watched TV shows about people who have been fortunate, and I use that word loosely, to win the lottery only to see many of their lives completely fall apart. Rich people go through trials, rich people, lose loved ones, rich people experience loneliness and every pain and hurt everyone else experiences and all their wealth cannot take that pain away.

I have been on mission trips to other parts of the world that don’t get to enjoy the many luxuries we have in America, yet I find the saints there have a peace and joy in the hearts that I am envious of because I find I too at times have forgotten my desperate need of the Lord, no matter what my bankbook says.

What is your need my friend? I pray your main need is of the Lord in every area of your life. I also pray we never fall into the trap thinking we can do it on our own because of what we have.

Our lives can change in an instant and there is no greater peace to have in one’s heart than to know the Lord is there to help us through. Do you still need the Lord today as much as you needed Him the day you asked Him into your heart???

Categories: A Pastor's Blog