I mentioned yesterday the trouble I have with my coffee cooling off while I'm busy. It never fails, whether I'm cleaning, writing, playing with the baby, doing my makeup, or a myriad of other things, if I don't drink my coffee in the first five minutes, it gets lukewarm.
All week we have discussed our temperature....hot, cold, or lukewarm. Lukewarmness is a problem, physically and spiritually. The good thing is that it is easily remedied. If my coffee gets a little cool, all I have to do is pop it in the microwave and heat it back up. Sometimes, my coffeepot shuts off (automatic shut-off) before I think it's going to, and the whole pot starts to cool off. Heating it back up is as simple as turning the power back on.
When we become spiritually lukewarm, it is because we have "turned off the heat". Romans 12:11 says that we are to be "fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." God desires us to be spiritually hot. If we are no longer fervent or hot for Him, He is the answer to our problem. He says to the church in Revelation 3:18, "I counsel thee to buy of me..." and "...be zealous therefore, and repent..." (Rev. 3:19).
So, how do we turn the heat up, and become spiritually hot?
1. Stay in the Word of God (daily reading, study, meditation, and memorization)
God's Word is "like as a fire..." (Jer. 23:29; 20:9). The disciples on the road to Emmaus said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Lk. 24:32).
2. Spend time in fellowship with the Lord (Acts 24:32)
We need to ask the Lord to help us and to teach us (Phil. 2:13).
3. Surrender my heart to receive rebuke and repent (Rev. 3:19)
4. Be Spirit-filled (Acts 2:3-4)
Living a life that is surrendered to the Spirit of God and obedient to Him will produce fire and fervency.
5. Seek to please God above all else (Ps. 73:25; Deut. 6:5; Mt. 22:37)
If we will do these five things, we can be assured that our hearts will stay at the right spiritual temperature. We should check ourselves often. Lukewarmness is easily obtained; it simply comes from doing nothing. Keeping a fervent heat requires desire and diligence, but is well worth the effort! May we encourage one another to stay on fire for the Lord!!!
Showing posts with label temperature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temperature. Show all posts
Saturday, October 4, 2008
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!
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!
The Temperature Test
Do you like your coffee steaming hot, or do you prefer it iced? How about lukewarm? I like my coffee HOT! I do like iced coffee, but it is not really my favorite. Whatever your preference, my guess is that you prefer one extreme or the other, but you don't want it lukewarm. Maybe that's why you never see coffee shops advertising, "Special of the Day...Tepid Coffee".
God used this very truth to speak to a church about their spiritual condition. That is what I would like for us to consider this week. Instead of dealing with a different aspect of this each day, I would like to think about this topic all week, and in our hearts and minds, ask the Lord to help us apply it to our marriages, our families, our ministries and our music. The truth is, my spiritual temperature will affect all of these other areas. So, rather than concentrate on those individual areas, I should deal with my spiritual condition first.
Today, I would like for us to take a little test. There are 15 questions here. I'm sure there could be a multitude more, but these cover the basics. You may want to grab a piece of paper to write down your answers. On a scale of 1-10, rate yourself in each of the following areas (1 being "I don't really care", and 10 being "It's extremely important to me".) These results are for you to know, and no one else, so be honest with yourself.
Where would I rate myself on.....
1. Daily time spent reading God's Word?
2. Daily time spent talking to God in prayer?
3. Meditating on, studying, and memorizing God's Word?
4. Faithfulness to God's house?
5. Faithful service in the ministries of my local church?
6. Being a faithful witness for the Lord?
7. Faithfulness to tithing and giving to my local church?
8. Having a pure life and testimony?
9. Having standards of personal holiness in every area of my life?
10. Being right with others (kind, tenderhearted, forgiving)?
11. Being filled with the Holy Spirit?
12. Allowing God's Word to be the final authority in my life?
13. Striving to be the wife God designed me to be (if married)?
14. Striving to be a godly mother (if you have children)?
15. Honoring the Lord in and through my home?
Total Score (Out of possible 150...you may need a calculator!)
Check back tomorrow to see how you did!
God used this very truth to speak to a church about their spiritual condition. That is what I would like for us to consider this week. Instead of dealing with a different aspect of this each day, I would like to think about this topic all week, and in our hearts and minds, ask the Lord to help us apply it to our marriages, our families, our ministries and our music. The truth is, my spiritual temperature will affect all of these other areas. So, rather than concentrate on those individual areas, I should deal with my spiritual condition first.
Today, I would like for us to take a little test. There are 15 questions here. I'm sure there could be a multitude more, but these cover the basics. You may want to grab a piece of paper to write down your answers. On a scale of 1-10, rate yourself in each of the following areas (1 being "I don't really care", and 10 being "It's extremely important to me".) These results are for you to know, and no one else, so be honest with yourself.
Where would I rate myself on.....
1. Daily time spent reading God's Word?
2. Daily time spent talking to God in prayer?
3. Meditating on, studying, and memorizing God's Word?
4. Faithfulness to God's house?
5. Faithful service in the ministries of my local church?
6. Being a faithful witness for the Lord?
7. Faithfulness to tithing and giving to my local church?
8. Having a pure life and testimony?
9. Having standards of personal holiness in every area of my life?
10. Being right with others (kind, tenderhearted, forgiving)?
11. Being filled with the Holy Spirit?
12. Allowing God's Word to be the final authority in my life?
13. Striving to be the wife God designed me to be (if married)?
14. Striving to be a godly mother (if you have children)?
15. Honoring the Lord in and through my home?
Total Score (Out of possible 150...you may need a calculator!)
Check back tomorrow to see how you did!
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