Recently I was posed the question, what is my greatest fear? After a few minutes of thought I struggled to find an answer that I felt answered the question fairly. The idea of drowning has always terrified me, but is that really my greatest fear? I don’t like being alone, but surely that wasn’t my greatest fear either?
In Revelation 3 God writes a letter to the church in Laodicea describing the state of their soul. Verses 15-17 say this:
“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. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
This is God, the God of the universe who created all things, and through whom all things live and die, saying He will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth! The first time I read this verse it penetrated my soul. How often am I lukewarm? How often do I go through the motions of my life and faith without giving God a thought? The bible says that God will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth; they have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 7:21-23 says this:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
This verse sends chills down my spine. There will come a day when God will tell people who are sure that they are going to heaven, that He never knew them. That their works, although they attached His name to them, were done in vain. This is by no means to say that we are saved by works, but it is to say that faith without works is dead. We are saved by faith alone, and that faith will be accompanied by our works and a life devoted to God.
Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love states that there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian. But rather a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, refuses to be lukewarm, and makes war against the flesh in order to pursue Christ.
The beauty of our struggle against flesh is that where we fall short, and we will, Christ’s blood covers us and we are made pure and holy before Him. This does not stop up us from pursuing Him, but should drive us closer to Him as we become more aware of His grace and love that He lavishes upon us. How great is our God!
Although at the time I couldn’t figure it out, I now know that my greatest fear in life, is being lukewarm, and one day having God say to me ‘I never knew you’. I don’t want to waste a moment of my life. In his song The Motions, Christian artist Matthew West screams out, “I don’t want to go through the motions, I don’t want to go one more day, without your all consuming, passion inside of me.” Many times I have made this the prayer of my heart, not to go through the motions, but to use my everything to glorify the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Lord don’t let me be lukewarm.
I was also recently asked if I was scared to pack up and move 1500 miles away to Chicago, the third largest city in the country, where I didn’t know a single person. Am I anxious? Yes. Nervous? Sure. Scared? No I’m not scared because I know that God is with me and not only with me, but guiding my steps and watching over me. Not to say I’m sure that I’ll be safe, or sure that everything will work out the way I envision it, but I am sure that the God who knows the number of hairs on my head is with me always. To Him be the glory, forever amen.
