Rich and Full—Gold Refined in the Fire

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” Rev. 3:17. This is what is written in the letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. So it is possible to believe that we are rich and have abundance, while the truth is the exact opposite. We might ask how this can be. This is because we have stopped obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit within us. In Acts 5:32 it says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. When we obey the Holy Spirit, we come to see how miserable we are.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Heb. 4:12-13.

So the word of God is meant to work in us in such a way that we are transformed from being human to becoming spiritual. Paul exhorts us in Col. 3:12 to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, longsuffering, etc. The power lies in the Holy Spirit and in the word of God. We can feel that the days go by with little progress—could it be that this comes from not having a living interest in the Scriptures, in the messages and articles from our fathers, to which we have ample access?

In Rev. 3:18 the angel of the church is counseled to buy gold refined in the fire, that he may be rich; white garments, that he may be clothed; and eye salve, that he may see. When we buy something, it costs us something—the price is the crucifixion of the flesh with the desire that lies in our nature. Yes, it involves suffering, but this light affliction is but for a moment, and it transforms us from being poor, naked, and blind to being rich, clothed, and able to see.