Lukewarm

At the top of my "Things I Hate List" are: lukewarm showers, lukewarm soup, lukewarm handshakes, and lukewarm friends. Hurrying into a mildly warm shower on a frigidly cold winter morning is almost torture. Reaching out my hand for a firm handshake, only to touch a limp noodlish grasp, just plain irritates me. Spending time with people who claim to be friends, yet during visits, they busily text, daydream out the window, or talk about themselves constantly, forces me to place them in my "Don't bother; they are lukewarm about friendship" category. Lifting a spoonful of vegetable soup to my mouth, anticipating a hot bite of goodness, only to encounter a tepid broth makes me gag.

Imagine how Christ feels when we are lukewarm in our service for Him. Imagine how Christ feels when our affection for Him is tepid.

Revelation 3:16 could not be clearer:

"So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Strong's lexicon defines "lukewarm" as "the condition of the sould wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor and a fervour of love."

Dictionary.com (Random House Dictionary) defines "lukewarm" as "moderately warm; having or showing little ardor, zeal, or enthusiasm; indifferent."

Lukewarmness (yes, that is a word) or indifference in faith is the worst condition! Such a half-hearted attitude about Jesus is inexcusable! If we believe Christ is who He said He is, how can we be apathetic in our love for Him, wishy-washy in our devotion to Him, and chilly in our gratitude for the grace He has bestowed upon us!

This is not a place to be neutral. Christ expects us to declare ourselves in earnest - either for Him or against Him. Revelation 3:17 calls these phlegmatic, unresponsive folks "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked."

Indifference is so important to the LORD that a severe punishment is even threatened in Revelation 3:16. Just as lukewarm vegetable soup induces gagging and vomiting, lukewarm church leaders or churchgoers turn Christ's stomach. Their neutrality sickens Him, and He cannot and will not bear them for long.

When life affords us an abundance of material possessions, the devious trap of indifference is an easy position to adopt. As our needs are supplied and oversupplied, we must guard against overlooking the feeding of our souls. We must be earnest and repent of any aloofness or tepidity in our pursuit of Christ.

"The soul is a different thing from the body, and must have accommodation suitable to its nature, or else in the midst of bodily prosperity it will be wretched and miserable." Matthew Henry

Questions to Consider Spiritual Temperature:

• Do I have a passionate concern for the lost?


• Am I always prepared to give the reason for my hope?


• Do my thoughts center soley on worldly things and circumstances?


• Do my thoughts center on me?


• Do I live my life overwhelmed with anxiety and worry, or do I live in the peace only Christ can give?


• Do I love God first? Do I love others as He teaches me to do?


• How often do I make God a priority in my life? Do I talk to Him? Do I learn more about His character and what He has done for me by digging into His living word?

Revelation 3:19-22 says:

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Dear Heavenly Father,

May I be a pleasing taste to you. May I hear your clear call to overcome. May I repent and be fervently earnest about seeking you! May I ask you daily to protect me from deceiving myself. May you guard my heart and mind, so I am not complacent. May I not become so blase, that I forget all that Christ has done. May my heart burn with a red-hot fervor and love for you, and may I never be chilly in my service to others. Amen!