Lord, Heat Me Up!

Lord, I've discovered a couple lessons since you saved me and baptized me in your precious Holy Ghost.

1. I've never done anything to deserve it, but you did it anyway
2. You want me to tell others about what you've done for me
3. I need to tell them soon

How do I know #3 is true? Because along with the joy you've given me, you've also instilled an urgency about everything I do for you, Lord. I feel as if I'll pop if I don't share about your Love. Jeremiah described a similar state:

Jeremiah 20:9 (NIV) - But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

There's no denying it: I'm who I am, only because of God's intervention in my messed-up life. And if he did this wondrous thing for me (who never EVER deserved it), then he'll do the same for others (who may never deserve it either) too! I owe it to those around me to tell the truth, to give my testimony of how God saved me, so maybe he'll do the same for them! I'm hot for you, Lord!

Luke 24:32 (KJV) - And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

But isn't it ok to just worship God quietly on Sunday mornings, tucked into the back corner of some quiet, boring church, quietly keeping to myself, singing the hymns, putting money in the plate, and just "playing it cool"? But consider the others sitting near you in that quiet little church, who may be DYING in their sin and don't even know it. Does God order your steps? If so, he may have placed you next to that other soul so you can plant, water, or - if the Lord says so - witness the reaping!

But it's not a halfway deal. I (and you) must be either COLD, or HOT. Anything in-between is less than useful for God. Here's what God said to the CHURCH in the last book of the Bible:

Revelation 3:15-16 (MSG) - I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit.

So if you're cold spiritually, that's good! It's even better - according to the book of Revelation - than being in the middle, being lukewarm. If you're lukewarm, the enemy may be trying to convince you you don't need God right now, that you're doing pretty well for yourself, and you'll just pray, fast, or attend worship some other day. Because today, you probably don't think you're doing too badly.

Solomon had a word for you, Sir or Ma'am:

Proverbs 21:2 (NIV, underline mine) - All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.

Ask the Lord to either get you stone cold, so you'll get to where he can reach down and truly save you, or to heat you up to where you'll set aside your shyness and pettiness and personal issues you may have with Pastor Such-and-Such or Sister So-and-So, and will SHARE WITH OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS IN YOUR LIFE.

Repeat after me: "Make me HOT today, Lord Jesus!"

God bless you!

© 2008 Scotty Ward