Lukewarm.....

Revelation 3:14-18 -  "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.  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.  You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

The visual here is pretty clear. I am thinking of all the times I ate something…or drank something that I was absolutely not able to swallow. I had to find something to spit it out in pretty quick…the taste and smell of it… threatening to bring back up everything that was in my stomach at the moment. The lukewarm love we offer to God must be just that displeasing.  So he gave John this great description…to help us understand in human terms just how much he hates it when we have no passion. Like Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary, “ Whenever we are off our watch, we lose ground.  Our works are hollow and empty: prayers are not filled up with holy desires, alms-deeds not filled up with true charity, sabbaths not filled up with suitable devotion of soul to God.”

I want to think that I have been more than passionate about this task of writing through the Bible…but like the distractions at youth camp a few weeks ago…I have had a hard time writing today…and I think not that it is coincidental. The blessing of getting to keep my sweet granddaughter for a week has my brain distracted. I am determined to finish this piece that I started early this AM…even though it is now late afternoon.  I guess it is a reminder from God that I will not always have the privilege of a quiet…undisturbed writing location. I keep waiting for something we have done together to inspire me…help me link to this passage I felt moved to choose this morning.

Maybe that is the lesson…to not let the distractions of the world get in my way.  To stop letting the world water down my love for God. Maybe I should have set the alarm for an earlier rising than my granddaughter…so I could give God the first light of day…and speak with him before I do anyone else.  I have to admit that I have been writing and posting later and later each day this summer…letting the sunshine through my window wake me at different times each day.

Father…thank you for a reminder that I will always have the world and its distractions to contend with.  I also thank you that somehow you managed to keep me coming back to you during the day…until I could hear what you had to say. I pray that you will help me to continue working toward the great faith of the church of Philadelphia…who held tightly to the small amount of faith they found in you…and worked daily to increase its power and strength in their lives. I thank you for the forgiveness you gave me for being dead so long…and for your sweet love that washes peace over my soul and helps me keep my vision of you fresh and alive. Amen.