In every person's life, there comes a moment when, learning about this world, they begin to understand its structure and patterns. In spiritual matters, we also encounter many mysteries that we cannot understand at first, but then revelation comes from above, and we begin to see the depths of God's knowledge and marvel at the simplicity and wisdom of what has been revealed. And then all my discoveries become part of me and carefully arranged on the shelves of my memory, so that at the right time the Holy Spirit can remind me of everything He has previously told me.
I am learning to love, and this science is connected with many revelations that are not sent just once to be fully understood, but require time, certain circumstances, repetition, experience, reminder, and inspiration. Then they illuminate my mind with new force and show an even greater depth in their simplicity. And the simpler God's revelations of love are, the deeper they seem, and the more interesting it is to deal with them.
For example, the words "I love you" do not contain anything new. They are as old as our world. They are worn out to the limit, but how pleasant it is to hear them again and again. And I think that even Eternity will not be enough to be satiated with this phrase and say that I know it, and I do not need to be constantly told about it.
I heard a story where a wife, five years after the wedding, asked her husband if he loved her. To which he replied that he did love her. And she asked why he doesn't say it. The husband said that before the wedding, he had already informed her, and if anything changed, he would certainly let her know. Funny? Stupid? But I know people who have never heard these words of love in their families, although they themselves are ready to talk about it constantly.
The peculiarity of love is that while giving itself, it does not seek its own and does not beg for similar responses, but love very much likes to hear such words addressed to itself. It will never tire of talking about its love and listening to the same confessions in return. Love is not ashamed of itself, manifested through the heart of another person. It thirsts for these words of love, although it does not force them to be spoken. It rejoices in sincere confessions, though it does not seek them. Even when asking, "Do you love me?", it does not expect a simple "yes", but desires to see the depth of a heart that sincerely confesses its pure feelings, clothing its thoughts in words to share what fills the mind. And love hears the voice of love. It will not mistake it for anything else.
In the last time, God's people will have special knowledge and receive special revelations from above. A certain wisdom is needed to ensure that I have this knowledge and that the received knowledge is sufficient. It is necessary to clearly understand that all the light from above is given to me so that I am prepared for the upcoming trials and can meet and endure them worthily.
God will take care to convey through His channels to each person what will need to be known. Here the most sad separation will occur.
When God sends light to His children, there are always those who will respond: "I already know this." But an even worse response might sound like this: "We know this." Thus, we make other people accomplices who can involuntarily support such a position. What does such an approach to accepting light contain? It is a polite statement of its rejection. And it is practically impossible to sow a seed where there is open resistance.
And the Lord quietly says that "you do not know how miserable, and pitiful, and poor, and blind, and naked you are." (Revelation 3:17)
And if we recall God's request from Jeremiah 33:3: "Call to Me — and I will answer you, show you great and inaccessible things that you do not know," it becomes completely clear that it is better to listen to familiar truths once again than to miss something very important. And if I do not cry out in search of the great and inaccessible, but am sure that I already know everything, then nothing will be revealed to me.
Children differ from adults in that they love to listen to what is already familiar to them, saying: "Tell me again." Adults prefer to interrupt any conversation with the words: "I know this." To whom is it easier to convey the truth?
Do not think that new light will contain something unique, consisting of new words. These will be very familiar truths that will appear differently in the power of the Holy Spirit. God's light is given to illuminate familiar things from different sides.
Will it benefit a person if they learn the message to Laodicea by heart but do not understand the meaning of what was said?
When a new commandment was given to the disciples: "Love one another," it was not something new to them, but a repetition of familiar words. I think that during three and a half years they had often heard such advice but did not pay attention to it. Similarly, at a certain time, God begins to reveal new truths to each of us in a different light. But this is not done against my will. The sufficiency of knowledge will be given only to those who thirst, who seek, who knock, who open at the knock, hearing God's voice.
If I consider myself wiser, richer, higher than others, it will be very difficult for me to hear God's call to my heart. Pride and self-sufficiency will never look in Heaven's eyes like a special status of the soul that needs to be carefully preserved. These are the rusty locks that keep the heart in ignorance. Nothing will be given to such people, and even what they have will be taken away.
God's message to the people of the last time will be very simple, familiar, and modest. No one will say to us: "Buy oil for the lamp from Me." But the Lord politely makes an offer: "I counsel you to buy from Me..." When God advises something, it is best to listen and do what is being discussed. Even if I know all mysteries and can decipher the meanings of all symbols, but do not have what is offered to me, what benefit will I have from this knowledge?
We have already passed many lessons talking about the Message to Laodicea. But I want to assure us that we do not yet fully know what it is about. There is a feeling that something very important is hidden in it, which will be discovered only by those truly thirsting and seeking. We have found that in this counsel, God offers Himself in all His beauty and power, but how to obtain Him is not yet fully revealed to us. But we can say with certainty that this message contains the most solemn message for the last time, a message about what we all must definitely buy and what is important to be able to own.
We are digging something great and inaccessible that we do not yet know. I do not know what we will come to, but when God reveals this depth to us, we will be surprised by its simplicity and the new possibilities in knowing Christ that we did not know.
When the Lord Himself tells me that He loves me, and, guided by this love, desires to reveal the meaning of what was said, then I do not plan to declare that I already know something. I am ready to listen to these words of love for all Eternity and think that they will never tire me with their monotony.
The Lord offers me to buy this gold, and then again and again endlessly continue this transaction while I breathe, because this is the breath of Eternal life.
Questions for Reflection on this Chapter
1. Please read 1 Corinthians 15:34; John 3:8; 13:7,34-35; 15:15; 17:3; 1 Corinthians 10:12; Job 38:3-4,17-18,33; Hosea 4:6; Ecclesiastes 8:16-17; 9:1; 11:5-6; 1 John 2:20-21; 3:23; Titus 1:15-16; Revelation 3:17-20; Psalm 138:4; Proverbs 27:1; 30:5-6; Jeremiah 33:3; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in light of this chapter.
2. What did you understand from this chapter?
3. What do you hear in the expression "I already know this"?
4. At what age does a person start knowing everything?
5. Do you agree with the statement that we still do not know much?
6. Will I benefit from all my knowledge if I do not have love?
7. Can something be learned perfectly if only studied superficially?
8. Do we need special knowledge in the last time?
9. What lack of knowledge does God speak about through Hosea 4:6?
10. Does the message to Laodicea give you any important knowledge?
11. Do you think it is important to understand what is offered to me in Revelation 3:18 and acquire it?
12. Are you receiving any important knowledge while studying in this School?
13. What useful things have you learned from the lessons of this book?
14. Do you already know everything, or is there something that must still be learned? How can you ask to be shown the great and inaccessible if you do not even know that it exists?
15. Do you plan to learn something from God eternally?