Hot Cold or Lukewarm?

Coffee

Ever hear someone walk into a coffee shop and ask for a lukewarm coffee? I’m sure it probably happens, but not very often. Usually, they will order either hot or iced coffee, nothing in between. That’s like what God told the church in Laodicea.

These were people who probably started their Christian lives “on fire”, excited about serving Jesus. As time went by, things happened. They probably experienced persecution from the Roman government, the Jewish people, and other non-Christians. We see from other parts of the New Testament that they also had a number of false teachers coming in and telling them things that were not true. It’s easier to “go with the flow” than it is to swim against the current. Just because everyone around you says something doesn’t necessarily make it right.

Rich

The church in Laodicea viewed themselves as rich, needing nothing. Jesus told them they were sadly mistaken. He said that they were “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked”, the opposite of what they thought of themselves. How could they be so wrong? How could they be that blind to their actual condition?

Spiritually Poor

Jesus told a parable of a rich farmer who became so prosperous that his barns could not hold all of his crops, so he planned to tear down his current barns and build new ones. That was never going to happen, though

This man had spent his whole life planning for his retirement. It seems that he had neglected his relationship with God, because he was working so hard. Many times, people convince themselves that what they are doing at the moment is vitally important. They might say that they can’t afford to take time to go to church or read their Bible. They might even convince themselves that saying a “few words in prayer” before they go to sleep will be enough for God.
How many marriages would last if that’s how the husband and wife treated each other? Do we really think that God is okay with us neglecting Him all day long, then trying to “placate” Him with a few words as we fall asleep?

First Love

In Revelation, Jesus told the church in Ephesus that they were doing some things well, but they had a glaring problem — they had left their first love.

About 30 or 40 years before this was written, the apostle Paul had been preaching and teaching in the city of Ephesus. There was a tremendous revival happening, and the people were definitely “on fire” for Jesus. Somewhere along the line, they had become complacent, and they had “fallen into a rut.”
This can happen with friends, family members, or others. We might say things like, “they know I love them”, but do they really know that? When was the last time you told God you loved Him (not just singing words in a song)?

Holy Spirit Grief

It’s easy to think of God’s Holy Spirit as a thing, the way that we think of a “prideful spirit” or a “loving spirit” in a person. That’s not who He is, though. He is a person, the same as God the Father or Jesus. As a person, He also has emotions. When we do things that are wrong, He is grieved. In the same way, God the Father and Jesus show us their emotions.

Love of God

God created us in His image, along with His emotions. He can love, get angry, be hurt, and long to spend time with us. I believe that is why He created us — because of His great love for us, even before we and the universe existed.
We see in Genesis how God used to walk through the Garden of Eden with Adam, spending time with him, enjoying each other’s company — until Adam sinned. That created the first division between God and mankind. Ever since then, God has been calling us back to Himself.

God Knocking

God told the church in Laodicea that He was standing at the door of their hearts, wanting to come into their lives. If they did, God said that they would spiritually share a meal together and fellowship together.
God doesn’t just want us to eventually open the door to Him, though; He wants us to seek Him out, as well.

Our Knocking

In the original language of the New Testament, Greek, the passage reads more like, “ask (and keep asking) and it will be given to you; seek (and keep seeking) and you will find; knock (and keep knocking) and it will be opened to you.” If all we do is pray one time, then if we don’t get exactly what we want, we say that God doesn’t exist, we have missed the whole point. God wants a friendship, even a marriage with us. Simply attending a church service and following a ritual (every denomination has them) won’t do. Praying a poem before you eat won’t do. Reading a quick devotional won’t do. All of these are good things, but they’re not enough.

All Your Heart

God wants all of our heart, soul, and might. Just a little is not enough. What if we approached every relationship this way? I think we would all have far fewer problems.

Anything short of everything
is not enough.

Lukewarm

Jesus said that He was going to spit these people out of His mouth. This is like what we would do if someone handed us a cup of motor oil and told us it was our favorite drink. One taste, and we would spit it out of our mouths. No matter what the other person said, we would know that what we just tasted was disgusting.
The Laodicean church was still meeting together, praying, and doing “religious” things. They were telling themselves and God that this was His favorite drink. Jesus had to set them straight.

Time for a Change

The people thought that they were doing well, but they weren’t. They had nothing; they needed everything. All of what they thought was worthwhile was not. They needed to throw away everything they had spiritually, and buy everything new. Jesus said that they needed to buy this from Him. Most of what we consider valuable, He says is worthless. There is only one thing that we have that God considers valuable — ourselves.

Living Sacrifice

Without Jesus’ sacrifice, we are hopeless. Without His riches, we are bankrupt. Without His love, we have nothing. The least we can do is offer ourselves to Him. He deserves all of our praise, glory, and honor.

Forgiveness

Something that we humans cannot fully comprehend is God’s forgiveness. Even when we totally blow it, He reaches out to correct us and draw us back to Himself.

God loves us enough to discipline us and show us where we are going wrong. Even while disciplining us, He continues to tell us He loves us and wants to spend time with us. God never abandons His children.

Eternity

After His correction, Jesus tells them that if they will open the door of their hearts to Him, He will let them reign on His throne forever. In other words, He is promising us eternity in heaven with Him — forever!

From Lukewarm to Hot

Jesus is calling. Are we listening? Are we willing to take a good, honest look at our lives, and go all-in for Jesus?

Lord, open our eyes to see what You see.
Help us to return to our first love.
Show us what we need to change,
and give us the strength and courage to change.
You are all we need and want.
You are our all in all.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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