NOTES for Rev 3:1-22

It is frightening... but how important it is for us. The Lord looks into our eyes and sees the heart. And He says everything He sees. How we would like to hear something life-affirming from Him, something like, “Well done, you are doing everything right; keep it up.” But He tells the truth. “You are neither cold nor hot.” “You are dead.” God, can it really be that You do not love me? But He says that this is not so at all. “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline.” And it is obvious. Can a loving gaze pretend that the beloved is perfectly well when in fact that person is dying—or has already died? God opens our eyes. Yes, what we see in the mirror of His eyes is frightening. But only the truth gives us a chance to change something, to come alive, to move forward, to be living and ardent rather than half-dead and lukewarm.