Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on this dear reader as they face today and its challenges; In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.
Take an honest look at your life as you read Francis Chan's list of what makes a Christian lukewarm. Keep in mind this is where you are right now, not where you want to be.
"Lukewarm People attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go. Compare it to what Isaiah says in 29:13: "The Lord says, 'these people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but there hearts are far from me. Their worship is made up only of rules taught by men.'" (Ouch.).
"Lukewarm People give money to charity and to he church...as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and i is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?" What does 1 Chronicles 21:24 say? "But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." Or Luke 21:1-4: "1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
"Lukewarm People tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. Read Luke 6:26 and Matt 23:5-7 to compare.
"Lukewarm People don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. Compare that to John 10:10 and Romans 6:1-2.
"Lukewarm People are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for 'extreme' Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call 'radical' what Jesus expected of all His followers." Read James 1:22 and James 4:17.
"Lukewarm People rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. See Matthew 10:32-33
"Lukewarm People gauge their morality or "goodness' by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hardcore for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. See Luke 18:11-12
The list doesn't end there, in fact there's more, but this would be longer than a devotional should be. We're given much to think about in the ones shared above. And the reality is that too many of us are comfortable just where we are in doing just what we're doing; to be challenged beyond that is to insult us or hurt us or to make us uncomfortable, yet deep down we know that we need to be doing far more for the sake of reaching others.
PRAYER: Loving God, why is so much expected of me is an easy question to ask when we know full well that Your Son gave it all just for me. Forgive me for those times that I have felt insulted or hurt or embarrassed for Your sake; give me today as an opportunity to serve You better. I ask this in Jesus Christ's precious Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
