Cooking at Room Tempurature

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." - Jesus in Revelation 3:15-16

I was dwelling on this verse the other day. Although I have heard people talk about this "lukewarm" idea before, it just never really made a ton of sense... at least not logically. The idea has always been explained to me that "Jesus doesn't want Christians who only live out their faith half-hearted. He wants only red-hot, on-fire, fully devoted Christians, and if you're not that then you're better off not being a Christian at all."

This has always just bugged me. I mean think about it, why would Jesus be more okay with someone who is "cold" that he would with someone who is "lukewarm"? Wouldn't Jesus rather have a lazy "saved" person over someone who doesn't believe in him?

After my Senior year of high school I got a job working for the City of Fridley. When I applied, I was hoping to work with my buddies in the parks department, but instead I got the job working in the sewer department. So all summer I shoveled leaves off of sewer grates and hosed out the inside of sewage pipes.

Every day I would pack the same lunch: turkey and cheese sandwich, an orange, a bottle of water, and a bag of chips. I remember that every time I ate lunch I would spend about 5 minutes washing my hands because of everything that had sprayed onto them while on the job (yes... mostly poop).

On my last day of working there my boss surprised us and bought us lunch, so I thought I could save the lunch I packed for that day and eat it for dinner. So I tossed my lunch into my back seat of my truck and finished off the day of work.

About 3 weeks later I started to smell this awful smell in my truck. I tried to ignore it for about another week, but the smell got so bad that I couldn't even drive without my windows having to be down. I started digging through my back seat to figure out what the smell was when I pulled my lunch bag out from under a stack of blankets.

I opened the bag and I almost vomited. Everywhere I looked was mold. I dumped out everything in the yard (rather than the garbage... I wasn't the brightest kid) and saw where the mold had started. A green and black fuzz completely covered the turkey sandwich inside of a small baggie and made its way out of the bag and onto the orange (which also started to grow it's own color mold), the bag of chips, and all along the rim of the water bottle.

But this is was lukewarm food tends to do over time... it gets moldy. And if it's not thrown away then the mold gets on everything around it.

I went back and read that "lukewarm" verse today and read the verses that followed it.

"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked... Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:17, 19-20

Why do "lukewarm" Christians enrage Jesus so much... because they don't really think they need Jesus. They think they have everything, but they have nothing. They think they are good, but they are wretched. They think they are forgiven, but they won't even repent. Jesus knocks at the door, and they yell back, "I'm good here Jesus. I hear you, but I've got everything I need now."

I think lukewarm Christians make Jesus so angry because they are the ones who turn people away from Jesus. They show off their self-righteousness. They pridefully gloat in how religious they are. They make sure everyone sees their successes and prosperity, and they do all of this in the name of Jesus. They are the mold that gets on other people who are looking for a savior.

If you're "cold" you still won't receive the treasure of heaven, but at least you won't prevent others from receiving it too. This is the condition of the "lukewarm" Christian. Which makes me ask the question of myself: Is this me?

Unfortunately (and embarrassingly), often times it is. Is this you?

Where in your life have you settled for anything less than Jesus?

How have you thought of yourself as better than someone else today?

When have you chosen to leave Jesus at the door?

Praise God that He loves us enough to point out our absolute need for Jesus. He tells us about being "lukewarm" not because it makes him angry, but because he doesn't want us to be unaware of our absolute need for Jesus.