https://odb.org/MY/2022/05/26/turn-up-the-heat
When we order a nice cup of gourmet or local coffee, we like it pipping hot. We know that the aroma and taste of the coffee fully comes out when it is properly heated with boiling hot water. However, when we actually drink it, we don’t mind if it’s lukewarm or it becomes lukewarm over time because it is quite difficult to drink anything boiling hot!
Just that when it comes to our faith, lukewarm is not the preferred choice. Jesus specifically warned the Christians in Laodicea. He wished they were either hot or cold because if they were neither, he is about to spit them out of His mouth! Actually what He really meant is that they need to be hot and not cold or lukewarm. Cold is definitely not good as that means we are totally out of the game. We are with the world. Our allegiance is either to ourselves or the world. We serve only our own selfish needs and desires.
The problem with lukewarm faith, unlike coffee as we are drinking it, is that we are not fully with God. We give some but not all. Our heart is with God and yet we are not. We will probably run at the first sign of trouble, good in terms of self defence but not when it comes to our faith! Any temptation coming our way, we just relent and give in. We compromise our faith, our principles when pressed. We lack the backbone to stay put. We lack the courage to stand our ground. We don’t have the perseverance to push through.
So with lukewarm faith, we are stuck in the past, probably have not moved much from our baby Christian days. We never did grow much in our experience with God. As we somehow didn’t exercise much faith in our journey of faith, we never acquired the faith to know God better and deeper. All the things God had planned for us, we only did some. So we are just a fraction of what we could be in Him.
Note that Jesus said that He was about to spit us out of His mouth. He didn’t say that He has. We still have the chance to make amends, to change our ways, to repent.
We cannot put off settling this issue of fully giving our lives to God. It cannot be continually postponed. We have to make the decision now. There is much to do in the Kingdom. We need to quickly find our niche and do our part. We need to be that brick on the wall. We have been uniquely and fearfully made for that role. The time is now, it is today, at this very minute. We must either dedicate or rededicate our lives to God. The infinite blessings and power and authority from heaven are just waiting to be poured out for us. But we have to be hot for God, not lukewarm! We have to be 100% for God, fully surrendered to Him, not half heartedly. Give our all for Him for He is worthy of our worship. He is our Lord, our God and King!
Ronnie's Thoughts 