ICS Daily Devotions
In the Danger of Lukewarmness
Matt 6.19-21: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If we seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, all the things will be added to us (Matt 6:33). The true faith comes from heart, not from the mind. We are not saved by confessing Jesus as our Lord on rational terms. Jesus mentions that “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven” (Matt 7:21). Nicodemus was a Pharisee but he had a good attitude and his heart was ready to learn from Jesus.
John 3:2: This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.
He calls Jesus a teacher coming from God. He had the inner conviction that Jesus was there to do the will of the Father. He was willing to learn what it means to obey God. We need to truly believe and seek God’s will, not our own. God looks upon the heart! That is where the true understanding comes from. Jesus confronted the church in Laodicea that lacked the passion and zeal:
Rev 3:15-17: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
The Laodiceans confessed themselves to be believers but they dwelled in the middle of nowhere. They thought they had the full knowledge of God, they prospered in a material way and perhaps understood it as the blessing from God. But their actual relationship with God was miserable. They did not search Him actively and they just fooled themselves. Lukewarmness is one the worst enemies because people do not get a proper feedback to really change their condition. Being lukewarm is saying that you are in a right relationship with God but living like you don’t. You can always interpret the things in your life the way that suits you. You will live and die in your condition because you think that everything is fine. In fact, as Jesus points out, there may be a better chance that a cold person who lives a total opposite life of what is required for the Kingdom finds the Lord easier because he or she is not in bondage of a hypocritical behavior. There was a reason behind the fact that Jesus dined with the sinners and tax collectors rather than with the Pharisees because he saw a hope of salvation in them.
Jesus was disappointed at the Pharisees who pretended to know God and taught the people accordingly, but the Law was actually more important to them than God Himself. For instance, they always tested what Jesus would do on the Sabbath, ready to condemn him if He broke the Law. The Law is like a fire. It is a good servant but a bad Master! It can serve you as a reminder of your personal sanctification, but it can also ensnare you and bring you into legalism.
The lukewarm people do not really seek God’s will for their lives. They do not trust God to lead them so they will always make their own decisions without consulting God. The material comfort is more appealing. They want Jesus to be their Savior but do not want Him to be their Lord! As a consequence, God is disappointed and they are not the best testimony. Other people may notice that they do not take their relationship with God seriously because they do not always do what they say. Their words are not aligned with their actions. Therefor, the danger is that the worldly people will never choose the path of the Christian faith because of them.
The lukewarm Christians may push their limits how far they can do without God. A sincere believer is the opposite: searching how close he or she can get to Him! We may fall into the ditch of lukewarmness but it is important to reflect on it properly and continue our spiritual growth. The life and communication with God is not a one-sided process. We can ask ourselves: we want God to bless us, but are we ready to bless God? We want God to live in our heart but are we also ready to live in God’s heart? Are we really entering God’s will and the Promised Land? It is important that we remain sincere believers, ready to do the will of God. It will give us the desired spiritual growth, effectiveness in God’s service and a fruitful accomplishment of our Christian mission.
Sermon Series: Being Imitators of Christ
