Don't Fall Into Extremes

The end of the last time differs from the past in that it is now that the Lord intends to implement all His plans in our lives and produce colossal changes in our hearts. Our faith will be comprehensively tested, and all prophecies about the last days will be fulfilled before our eyes.

The enemy of the soul is strengthening his positions to deliver a decisive blow and not stop until the final victory. He will act in all directions, and few will withstand the influence of his sorcery. Satan's task now is to distract God's children from the truth for the present time, to prevent them from understanding the meaning of the symbols of oil for the lamp, so that the message to Laodicea remains in the shadows. Satan is happy to load us with anything, just to keep us in ignorance for as long as possible.

Jesus addresses His people seriously enough and, not mincing words, speaks of His disgust with our lukewarm state. And I listen to this address and agree that I am lukewarm. I am honest in this admission. I sincerely believe that this is so, and even call myself so. But in Revelation 3:18-20, I am given a way out of my lukewarm state, the Lord offers Himself, assures me of His love and personally comes to me to teach me those truths that will help me overcome all trials and withstand all temptations. And this power is available. It works. It is given to all who desire, the wise and the thinking. The enemy of the soul cannot resist God's plans. He is not able to prevent God from carrying out His intentions. The devil knows the power of the Most High and trembles before Him. But the enemy of the soul is allowed to tempt and produce his enchantment even among the elect, without depriving them of life. This is what Satan is busy with. Lack of interest and spiritual indifference to the truth for the present time have become the norm of life for God's children. The spiritual growth of new church members becomes rapid from getting to know God and first love. It turns into discipleship, moving into the stage of success, and stops there. And God invites to go further, but already personally to each, to overcome all inclinations to sin and rise to spiritual perfection in love, passing through the dark night of the soul, through the journey inside oneself, through the journey outward, so that everyone can reach the knowledge of the depth of God's agape love and make it their own, part of themselves. Those who manage to penetrate into the very essence of God's heart and feed from God's hands, receiving the Bread of life every morning, understand that they have known God, and He lives in them. And this realization brings inexplicable happiness to life. Life in God becomes amazingly beautiful, and revelations of God's love become commonplace.

A loving heart can see everything. It can understand the spirit of those with whom it has communion, in order to serve these people to the best of its ability. But even at this stage of faith, a loving soul is capable of falling under the influence of the temptations of the evil one and falling into extremes. And this can be a special zeal for God and His law.

For example, seeing the advantage and power of love and understanding how it works, and what colossal potential it has, I can take on the prerogative of God and become a spiritual judge or accuser of brothers. Seeing their lukewarm state, I begin to boldly reproach them in this, giving them no chance. And Biblical prophecies and convictions affirm my words and make them like driven nails. As a result, the lukewarm soul becomes desperate. Laodicea has no strength to get out of its lukewarm state on its own, and any firm statement about sin plunges the tired soul into the darkness of hopelessness. And in such a position, a person simply gets lost. He can either become completely disillusioned with everything and move away from faith or become embittered against the whole world, standing in opposition.

But the loving heart has gone through all these stages of faith, and it knows how difficult it is to make decisions about moving upward and how difficult it is to go through the fire of purification. And love begins very carefully, with tenderness to show the way out, sharing its personal experience and not hiding its mistakes.

Endowing the soul with salvation is the authority of Christ, and only He decides which of us will be saved, and who will be deprived of this right forever. I sometimes cannot even be sure of myself, knowing how sinful and extremely corrupt I am. And only faith in God's mercy and the presence of God's love helps me to stay in the heart of the Most High.

Tenderness should be learned. Reverence does not come into my life by itself. These properties of the soul are acquired through many mistakes and falls. I have been a judge of my neighbors many times, and God calls me to serve them. If I rebuke someone, it is worth doing it with love for these people, feeling their readiness and offering them a solution. And there is a solution. But not everyone will want to get out of the lukewarm state. Laodicea gives false confidence in wealth and abundance of everything. It satiates the soul, dressing it in clothes of imaginary righteousness. And not everyone will dare to leave such a cozy place. But I don't know the true motives of a person and the peculiarities of his perception of information and its processing, so I can start to fit everyone to my standards. And having a spiritual advantage in love and seeing others as on the palm of my hand, I am able to lose sight of Christ and try to save and bring my neighbors out of the lukewarm state with my own strength, tying these souls to myself. And as a result, I burn out, and Jesus stands nearby and grieves about me. But He allows me to fall into extremes, and then opens my eyes, because otherwise I will not understand how bad and destructive it is.

God, saving certain people, does not make mistakes in His decision. I think I will be very surprised when I see in Eternity those on whom I put a cross and did not want to give them my attention and did not even pray for them. And when I do not find among the saved people who were for me an example of faith and courage, then I will be even more surprised at how such people could perish. But nothing unclean will enter God's Kingdom, and the blood of Christ will not wash away beloved sins, and I don't know much. Everything is open to God. And when in the light of Eternity, God's purity and holiness, I look at my "holy" earthly life, I will be surprised at how I inherited salvation with all this burden. And only God's love and mercy will be the answer to my surprise.

But as long as a person is alive, there is hope that he can change something. And it is necessary to talk about God's plans for us. It is worth warning those who are mistaken and rebuking those who have fallen away, but not judging them, but giving hope and showing the way out.

Now there are many accusers and fighters for justice, and they have something to tell sinners. But who teaches people love, who thinks about the happiness of the sinner? Who will leave everything to serve the hopelessly sick?

Love gives answers to all these questions in itself. It calmly carries out its mission in my life and in the lives of others. It is the final product of Heavenly trade with Laodicea, and it cannot be faked or confused with anything. It is sent to me to guide my motives and feelings, to form the right thinking in me and make the way of thinking righteous. Love has no substitute. It either exists or it doesn't. And Jesus Himself dwells in this love. And He knows who has it. Jesus does not make mistakes.

Questions for reflection on this chapter:

1. Please read Revelation 3:18-20; Romans 12:9-18; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Matthew 7:1-5; 1 Peter 2:1-5; Hebrews 5:11-14; 1 Peter 1:22-23; Psalm 96:10-13; Proverbs 21:3; Ecclesiastes 3:16-17; Isaiah 1:16-19; 1 Corinthians 6:1-12 in light of this chapter.

2. What did you understand from this chapter?

3. Are you familiar with the state of heart when you see your superiority over others and begin to judge them?

4. Is judgment always something bad and wrong?

5. What can and should be judged? 1 Corinthians 6:3

6. Why does the Lord Himself decide who will be saved and who will perish?

7. If you were given the power to save people for Eternal life, who would you save, and what criterion would you be guided by?

8. Why does my fair condemnation often cause resentment towards me from my neighbors? After all, I'm right!

9. Do you feel right? Do you have clothes with an inscription about it?

10. How does my righteousness differ from God's?

11. Why can my judgment of my neighbor become an unacceptable extreme?

12. What role does love play in fair and deserved condemnation?

13. Does love judge someone, or does it love and forgive everyone?

14. Are there sins that even God cannot forgive?

15. Do you think your spiritual state causes joy and approval of Christ?