Today’s Scripture: Revelation 1-3
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:15-16
I was sitting in the Sunday evening service of an evangelical church in the South. The preacher was delivering a sermon that was known in that part of the country as a stem-winder, or barnburner. His Scripture-filled message was fiery–full of compassion and concern for the lost.
About halfway through, I looked around at the congregation and saw that some were responding to the preacher’s impassioned plea with a hearty yawn. Eyelids were drooping, and some had even drifted off to sleep.
Don’t get me wrong. These were good people. Some had put in years of faithful service for the Lord. Many had shown a zeal for evangelism and a concern for the spiritual growth of new Christians. But somehow they had become spiritually flat. They were comfortable, lethargic, engulfed in spiritual dullness. What happened?
Jesus said in Revelation 2:2-5, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love… Repent and do the things you did at first.”
Christian, has your devotion to Christ cooled? Has your fervency in serving God been replaced by a sense of duty? If there was a time when your heart burned hotter and brighter than it does today, Jesus says it’s time to repent and go the other way. Ask Him to rekindle the flame and renew the joy and excitement of your first love for Him.
Prayer
Lord, renew the flame of my first love–for You and for Your kingdom. Amen.
To Ponder
Do you still experience the same excitement, dedication, and hunger for the Word that you did as a new believer?
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