Wretched, Miserable, Poor, Blind and Naked

Wretched, Miserable, Poor, Blind and Naked

“And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked . . . .” Rev. 3:17.

The truth sets us free, though it doesn’t feel good. We need to know that we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. It is apparent that this knowledge is grossly lacking today. On the contrary, people are certain that they are rich, wealthy and have need of nothing. People strive to outdo each other in testifying about how rich and wonderful they are. It is impossible for me to grasp in the Holy Spirit how they are able to attain all these riches and glory without fellowship in the sufferings of Christ. Yet by searching out folly, I can understand it.

Take away grace for a moment, and you will discover your nakedness, poverty and blindness in all their ugliness. If God has not been able to reveal your own nakedness to you, it is because you are not able to bear it. The fact that you cannot bear to see it does not mean you are better off; it only means you are still ignorant. When there is an abundance of grace, a person can believe he is rich and mighty and still be completely ignorant of his own poverty. As a result, he lacks the blessedness that is especially reserved for those who are poor in spirit. Grace is temporary; God gives it and takes it away according to His will. It is not our personal possession. That is why a person can believe that he is rich and yet be completely oblivious to his own poverty.

During great revivals, where grace works mightily, people can believe they are eternally secure and ready to enter the eternal dwellings together with the spirits of just men made perfect. What a deception! When God withdraws His grace after a revival, these same people divide up into countless parties and speak evil of each other—seeking their own honor and glory. What a miserable result. If those people had been aware of their own poverty in the midst of the glory of grace, they would have used grace to gain the glory of righteousness, which far exceeds the glory of grace, even as the glory of ownership exceeds the glory of a loan.

Therefore, blessed is he who is aware of his poverty, his wretchedness, his blindness and nakedness. He does not boast of his abundance, of what he thinks he has. Love of the truth is more precious to him than riches, even though this love makes a person more aware of his poverty, wretchedness, blindness and nakedness.

Love for the truth constrains us so that we would rather know our secret sins than hear a flood of words intended to cover up our corruption.

It is up to us to recognize our nakedness and blindness, and it is up to God to save us and give us glory. Yet when God does give us glory, it will become a loss for us if we become preoccupied with the glory and forget our nakedness, blindness and poverty.

A miserly man seeks riches, but a generous man seeks poverty.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.