LUKEWARM OR HOT?

From my morning lessons diary,
one I shared with family & friends.
November 5, 2001

Good morning,

     I am not feeling my best today so won't be doing this lesson in the manner you're accustomed too. I thought I'd just share some of my thoughts and feelings, if you don't mind.  I've been thinking about the word lukewarm and what it means. We might not give much importance to the word but God does, in Revelation 3:16 "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."
     I recall reading that verse many years ago; the importance of it went right over my head. I missed its importance because at the time, I believed myself to be firmly planted spiritually. I failed to realize just how lukewarm I was. I didn't realize it until many years later, and I didn't discover it myself; Jesus had to point it out to me, had to help me see just how terrible a thing it is to be lukewarm.
     For example: Take the husband and wife relationship. What if the man works hard, pays the bills, mows the yard, takes out trash and maintains the house properly but does not give his wife affection, takes no time for his children- pretty much does what he pleases?
    Or what if the wife washes her children's clothes, cooks their meals, takes them to and from school, but never attends parent/child appointments and doesn't interact with her children?
   Spiritually, to be lukewarm is dangerous. It's a condition that can, if we are not careful, cause us to drift away from the Lord. We may be enjoying a day at the beach, for example, and decide to swim in the ocean. If we are not alert we could be pulled out by the tides and drown. Charles Spurgeon, a famous preacher in the 1800's, described it this way:
   "They were not cold, but they were not hot; they were not infidels, yet they were not earnest believers; they did not oppose the gospel, but neither did they defend it; they were not seeing mischief, neither were they doing anything good; they were not disreputable in moral character, but they were not distinguished for holiness; they were not irreligious, but they were not enthusiastic in piety not eminent for zeal: AND > Good things were maintained among them, but they did not make too much of them; they had prayer meetings, but there were few present, for they liked quiet evenings at home."

Too often we fail to speak out for fear of offending, even though we know something should be said. We do the right things, but not always with all our might. Some examples might be: Our prayer time:
        How much time do we spend in prayer? When we say to somebody "I will pray for you, do we really pray, and if we do, how earnest is that prayer? Do we pray from the core of our hearts, pleading for that friend or loved one as earnestly as when we prayed for ourselves?

Our family time:

     How involved are we really? Do we do the right things with all our might and soul and strength? What a difference it would make if we determined, this very day, this very minute, to love with all our might and soul and strength, and to do the same when we cook, play with our children, or are spending time with our spouse.
     In one of his sermons, Spurgeon used a bath to show just how dangerous remaining in our comfort zone is. He wrote:
"Cold makes us shiver, and a great heat causes us pain, but a tepid bath is comfort itself. Such a temperature suits human nature."
     His statement was profound and right on the mark. We have created a comfort zone, and have invisible limits to keep us safe. We may go to church but just can't give a testimony; we're too shy. We may give to the church but only that tenth, nothing more, because we can't afford it. Where is the trust in God? Compromise seems to be the order of the day.
    In the light of the Scriptures.... we cannot profess to love God while holding onto resentfulness and hatred, cannot really think because we call ourselves Christians that we indeed are. Lukewarm is more than distasteful to He who created us. It is vile and nauseates Him to the point He says "I will spew thee out of my mouth."

I ask for your prayers, regarding my spiritual life. I ask that you pray for me, most earnestly and sincerely, that God may enable me to see with clarity of vision the errors in my life, that he may point out to me the areas where I am lukewarm.
    When you think of life without Christ in it, it would be no life at all, and when you think of the word lukewarm and then think of CHRIST and how he lived HIS life, you will see what it is to NOT be lukewarm.
   
I wish to thank all of you for loving me, for your deep understanding and support. Life is hard for us all, but if we will humble ourselves unto God, and repent of our sins daily he can, and will, create in us a new man, one whose life will reflect Christ in the way it should.