The city of Laodicea received its water via an aqueduct from hot mineral springs five miles to the south. The water would have cooled slowly along the way and would have been distastefully lukewarm by the time it got to the city. Both hot and cold water are palatable. Tepid water, on the other hand, is disgusting. In the letter to the church in Laodicea, Jesus indicts the people for becoming like their water supply. Their faith had lost its original heat. Their self-dependence and relative comfort had created the atmospheric conditions for this cooling effect. If these atmospheric conditions cooled their faith, how much more does our situation pose a danger to our faith. The lowest wage earner in our country is nevertheless far more secure and comfortable than the average rich person in the ancient world. So, we should be alarmed by Jesus warning to the Laodiceans. Wealth is not bad. But without the vigilant activation of faith it can become dangerous to us. “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Faith does not require poverty and hardship to keep it alive. We can intentionally keep our faith blazing hot by recognising our fundamental need for God. You must desire more than worldly wealth. We must recognise how impoverished we are without the constant activity of God’s Spirit within us. Keep your faith alive by earnestly seeking God for things that only he can give you.
Pray for the things described in verse 18.
Read Revelation 3:14-18
