Revelation 3:14-16
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
I Don't Care
I remember when I first read that passage in Revelation; it gave me chills. That was my first time to understand that you better decide who you believe, what you believe, and make sure you are on the right side. I am a big sci-fi/action movie watcher, and I always love it when it comes down to the wavering hero to have to make that choice. The choice of choosing which side they are on and what they believe and then seeing them act on that belief and saving the day!
Complacency is not a mark of a hero. The word complacent is defined as ‘self-satisfied and contented to a fault’1 . Those who are in the business of helping others and obeying God have no room to be self satisfied or to be neutral when it comes to right and wrong. In this passage, God is speaking to the church of Laodicea. They have become self-satisfied and have no real need for God. His words to them are very powerful and almost scary. “I am about to spit you out of my mouth. “ Why? Because they have not chosen one way or the other when it comes to God, and that is not acceptable. To be lukewarm, to be on the fence, doesn’t count for anything. God is asking for boldness, not just to believe in Him, but boldness in committing to what you believe and living it out. Moses comes to mind when I think of someone who could have wavered so easily. He had the luxury of Egypt and the burden of his people. He did not choose the best of both worlds. He chose God and His people and his life was different ever since. Because of his unwavering decision in God, he was used beyond his own abilities and imagination. Just think if Moses chose to be complacent, to be self satisfied in his life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter or even as a shepherd for Jethro. We would be reading a different story about Moses.
Let us be real. Our faith wavers, doubts can deter us at times, and God’s silence can even make us feel angry and forgotten. Our decision makes the difference on whether we are ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ for God. Emotions can wreak havoc on our faith. When we feel angry or confused or hurt or abandoned, it is then that we must rely on our faith or facts, not on our emotions or feelings. What I mean by facts, are those things we believe and know to be true about God. They don’t change because we feel one way or the other, although it does seem to cause our faith to feel this way or the other. When we come to ‘our senses’, we see that what our faith has been in hasn’t changed. This is why we must choose whom we will serve now, so that when the attacks of the enemies come or even when our own emotions get the best of us, we have already made our choice; we have already chosen which side of the fence our feet will rest on.
As the years go by, some things we never imagined that would be ‘normal’ are just that, normal. New forms of religion come out every few years. Ways of doing things are repackaged and sold to us as ‘new’. What shouldn’t be acceptable is forced to be acceptable. Our faith must weather all these changes and disguises. Our faith must hold firm and fast, our faith must credit to us righteousness.
1 http://www.webster-dictionary.org
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
I Don't Care
I remember when I first read that passage in Revelation; it gave me chills. That was my first time to understand that you better decide who you believe, what you believe, and make sure you are on the right side. I am a big sci-fi/action movie watcher, and I always love it when it comes down to the wavering hero to have to make that choice. The choice of choosing which side they are on and what they believe and then seeing them act on that belief and saving the day!
Complacency is not a mark of a hero. The word complacent is defined as ‘self-satisfied and contented to a fault’1 . Those who are in the business of helping others and obeying God have no room to be self satisfied or to be neutral when it comes to right and wrong. In this passage, God is speaking to the church of Laodicea. They have become self-satisfied and have no real need for God. His words to them are very powerful and almost scary. “I am about to spit you out of my mouth. “ Why? Because they have not chosen one way or the other when it comes to God, and that is not acceptable. To be lukewarm, to be on the fence, doesn’t count for anything. God is asking for boldness, not just to believe in Him, but boldness in committing to what you believe and living it out. Moses comes to mind when I think of someone who could have wavered so easily. He had the luxury of Egypt and the burden of his people. He did not choose the best of both worlds. He chose God and His people and his life was different ever since. Because of his unwavering decision in God, he was used beyond his own abilities and imagination. Just think if Moses chose to be complacent, to be self satisfied in his life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter or even as a shepherd for Jethro. We would be reading a different story about Moses.
Let us be real. Our faith wavers, doubts can deter us at times, and God’s silence can even make us feel angry and forgotten. Our decision makes the difference on whether we are ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ for God. Emotions can wreak havoc on our faith. When we feel angry or confused or hurt or abandoned, it is then that we must rely on our faith or facts, not on our emotions or feelings. What I mean by facts, are those things we believe and know to be true about God. They don’t change because we feel one way or the other, although it does seem to cause our faith to feel this way or the other. When we come to ‘our senses’, we see that what our faith has been in hasn’t changed. This is why we must choose whom we will serve now, so that when the attacks of the enemies come or even when our own emotions get the best of us, we have already made our choice; we have already chosen which side of the fence our feet will rest on.
As the years go by, some things we never imagined that would be ‘normal’ are just that, normal. New forms of religion come out every few years. Ways of doing things are repackaged and sold to us as ‘new’. What shouldn’t be acceptable is forced to be acceptable. Our faith must weather all these changes and disguises. Our faith must hold firm and fast, our faith must credit to us righteousness.
“then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
-Joshua 24:15-
1 http://www.webster-dictionary.org
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