Reading: Matthew 6:19-34
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Right now I’m in the middle of a financial overhaul. We’re trying to refinance both of our houses, and at the same time I’m trying to sell my car and buy a newer one. I’ve been talking with my spouse, my financial advisers, and my parents – weighing different options, crunching numbers, and trying to dive into something that makes financial sense. After studying Laodicea, I stopped to do something I neglected to do from the very beginning… seek the Lord.
Laodicea was a very wealthy city and a leader in the world in the field of medicine. In 60 AD, they suffered a devastating earthquake that left the town in shambles. The Roman government offered money to the city of Laodicea to help rebuild, but the metropolis was too proud to accept charity. “Thanks, but we have enough money. We don’t need a thing,” they replied.
Jesus chastises the Church of Laodicea because of their attitude of self reliance. In fact, He points out the very words that the city used in their refusal of Rome’s help. “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
Laodicea had money, they had fancy clothes, and they had medicine, but they didn’t have Jesus. His response is to acquire His gold, His white clothes of purity, and His eye medicine to heal their spiritual blindness. In other words, Jesus wanted the church to stop being self-reliant and start being reliant on Him.
Many times throughout this series, we’ve looked at the story of the rich young ruler in Luke 18. It’s a reminder that blessings like money and medicine are not evil. What’s evil is how self-reliant we can easily become when we have these things.
Imagine you’re walking through the store, and you see a candy bar. You’re hungry, so you think to yourself, “I’ll just buy it.” After all, it’s only about a dollar. If someone asked you if you had consulted the Lord before you decided to buy it, you might laugh. After all, It’s only a candy bar. It’s not like a car. I’m sure God will be okay with it.
So let’s inflate this hypothetical story for a moment. Imagine you’re a multi-millionaire, and you drive by a dealership and see a good looking, economical car. You go in and acquire it with cash. If someone asked you if you had consulted the Lord before you decided to buy it, you might laugh. After all, it’s only a mainstream car. It’s not like it’s a Ferrari or a house. I’m sure God will be okay with it.
Do you see my point? The attitude is the same. It’s just the amount of money involved is different. Our reliance on God is often relative; it depends on what means we have. Consider our health for a moment. If you get a little cold, do you ever talk to the Lord about it? Or do you neglect praying for healing because you know a little amoxicillin will do the trick? We may say things like “God helps those who help themselves” and dismiss the need to seek the Lord in “routine matters.” Sometimes we think that if we have the means or if something seems conventionally wise, then it’s obviously the Lord’s will. Others may practice the opposite extreme. Because they want to be reliant on the Lord, they think that making money or taking medicine is an act contrary to faith.
We need to think differently about Jesus. Instead of thinking about Him as just a healer or just a financial adviser, we need to think of Him as our Lord and friend. Just as a child is reliant on their Father, Jesus invites us to rely on Him. When we’re so used to being self-reliant, then it’s tough to incorporate God in our lives and be reliant on Him. Jesus will probably still use that medicine and that money, but the difference of being God-reliant is that we include Him in our lives, not just when we are at a point beyond our means.
Jesus’ desire is to have an intimate relationship with us. Just as we walk with our spouses, consulting them in our decisions, talking to them about what’s going on in our lives, Jesus wants the same. When we give Jesus that place in our lives, we honor Him, and He reveals His heart to us. Like Moses, we become so accustomed to His radiant presence, we say, “I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything without You.” Like Enoch, we walk with God through this life and into the next.