Monday, September 29, 2008

Keeping It Hot

Today was a busy day! We are having revival services at our church this week, so there are extra things to do, and a shorter day to do them in. I think I poured myself at least five cups of coffee (that's a lot!), but I only finished one. The rest cooled off before I could get halfway through. They were all really hot when I poured them (just the way I like it), but before long, I would get busy doing something, and when I'd come back to my coffee, it hadn't stayed hot.

In my last post, there was a "temperature test". I don't know about you, but on most of the questions, although I may want them to be a 10 or know they should be a 10, I can't honestly say they are currently a 10 in my life. I wouldn't say they're a 1 either. These things are important to me, but on many things I scored somewhere in the middle.

Now, I want to say to myself, "That's not so bad. It's not that you don't care about those things, and nobody's perfect. You're doing pretty good." There is always room for improvement in our lives, but the scary thing is that we're often content to stay right there.....somewhere in the middle, in our comfort zone. Spiritually, that is lukewarmness - not cold, but not really hot either.

God said in Revelation 3 to the church at Laodicea, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

We need to be spiritually "hot". Some other words that may describe being hot or having heat are fervor, ardor, passion, zeal, fiery, or boiling. This isn't just a little heat that God desires for us. He wants us to be blazing for Him.

We have taken our spiritual "temperature", now let's look at some symptoms of being spiritually "hot."

1. I will be fervent or boiling.

Apollos is a good example of someone who was fervent for God. Acts 18:25 says that he was "fervent in the spirit". The word fervent means boiling. When we are "hot" spiritually, it will bubble up and boil over in our lives.

2. I will be fiery or blazing.

A fire consumes what it burns. If I am on fire for God, I will allow myself, my desires, my will to be consumed by God.

A fire is conspicuous. If you are on fire for God, you won't have announce it to people. It will be evident in your life.

3. I will be fearless or bold.

Spiritual heat makes us bold to speak for God. Jeremiah tried to refrain from speaking the Word of God, but it was "as a burning fire" (Jer. 20:9). When we are fervent for God, we will speak the Word without fear.

4. I will be faithful and believing.

A "hot" Christian will have great faith.

Back to my earlier illustration, my coffee began to lose heat the minute I took it away from the coffeepot, and the warmer under it. It had gotten away from its heat source. As Christians, Christ and His Word are our "heat source". If we want to be "hot" and stay that way, we must stay continually close to Him.

Tomorrow's topic: Brrrrr......that's cold!

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