Rep the *Christian* Label
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16, NLT)
Let’s get right down to it: We are missing out on such a great opportunity to have a beautiful love story with Jesus when we are living the lukewarm Christian life.
When we allow ourselves to be lukewarm, we are literally forcing ourselves away from all the beautiful blessings He has waiting for us. We are denying ourselves of His grace and His Holy Spirit. If we are half in and half out, then we don’t know where we fit. We don’t want to fit into the “Christian” category because of what people will think, but at the same time, we yearn for Jesus because we put our hope into unsustainable things.
Lukewarm is a place where God certainly doesn’t want us to be. In truth, it’s a place you don’t want to be either. It’s a place where you’re never going to find true joy and it’s a place you can find yourself without even noticing how you got there.
So how do we avoid becoming lukewarm? How do we keep the all-sustaining fire we have for Jesus going?
We don’t only give God our time, but we take the time we give Him seriously. Think about it: We have a direct line to the Maker of the universe, and we all take it completely for granted. The awesome thing is, the more of your precious time you spend with Him, the more you receive from it. It’s like the age-old saying goes: What you put into your pursuit of Christ is what you’ll get out of it. From worship to reading, to genuine prayer time, to how much attention you devote to listening to a sermon, God pours so much into us using those little moments throughout the day.
I'll admit, I would be a hypocrite to say that I always give God one hundred percent in every area and second of my life. That’s a challenge that we’d all fail at before we even started because our focus tends to falter. What matters the most is if we are moving forward or backward in our lukewarmness. You know where you stand with God right now. You know if you’re cold, lukewarm, or hot. Now, how are you going to act on where you stand with Him? Even if you are on fire, are going to continue to pursue him day in and day out, or are you going to take the backseat and let the enemy throw you into reverse?
Revelations 3:1-3 says “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.” Even though this passage is part of a letter to the Church of Sardis, this says it all. We are dead on the inside without the presence of Jesus in our lives. Even if you feel like you have gone too far to receive God again; it isn’t true. God can take the little bit of faith you have if you give it to him, and do multitudes with it. You are not forgotten. You are a priority to God. Make him a priority and your soul will experience a whole new level of love, grace, and abundance.
There is no sin, no season, or excuse that can separate you from God. You may build walls around yourself but God still sees you and wants you. He desires to give you life more abundantly, and it’s yours to take when you make that choice to give God everything in worship. When you choose to shut your phone off for thirty minutes and dive head first into God's word. Every moment that God gives us is so precious, and when we live each moment to glorify his name, the strides taken in our own hearts are remarkable.
Don’t be lukewarm, because it’s worse than being cold. Rep God with your whole heart. Do not be afraid to embrace the “Christian” label, because in showing others you have something they don’t, you show them something we all need. We have the remedy; we have the answer, and that is Jesus.
