Then he (Jesus) said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:23-25)
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. (Revelation 3:15, AMP)
Here is just a test to see if you are lukewarm. The Bible calls us to be hot or cold, not in between. We must examine what our lives look like. Are we riding the fence or going fully for the Lord? I know some of these might be hard to swallow, but I promise that it’s a good thing to take stock of where we are in our spiritual journey!
Are you Lukewarm?
Source: Francis Chan
1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go. Isaiah 29:13.
2. Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so, After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? 1 Chronicles 21:24, Luke 21:1-4.
The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever. (1 John 2:17, AMP)
This week, I thought it would be fun to explore what the life of a disciple looks like. How far am I willing to go for God? How far are you willing to go? What does discipleship look like? The first thing I see in Scripture when it comes to discipleship is an “Immediate Response”. There is no delay, no time to think sometimes, and no time to come up with excuses. We simply need to be obedient when the Lord calls us. Let’s take a look at a few examples of this…
1. Peter & Andrew
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. ~Matthew 4:18-20
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.
All good athletes train hard.
They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades.
You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line.
I’m giving it everything I’ve got.
No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition.
I’m not going to get caught napping,
telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (MSG)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Well, I had a great devotional ready for today. It was a perfect outline and really flowed well. But when I went to save it, it disappeared. So here I am stunned! What should I do now? The only thing I can think of is to offer a prayer up to the Lord. Yes, I could go back and rewrite my devotional but I think I will just write my heart to you instead.
Here is my prayer to God…