Getting Job-ed
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent. See! 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 3:15-20 CSB
Jesus really isn’t as peace-y as what we envision. I feel like we have this soft-spoken, frail English-speaking (usually British dialect) person in mind. That’s not really how the Bible portrays Jesus, and this is extremely important for us to know that Jesus is not indifferent about your devotion and your worship. If we’re going to love Jesus and strive to be like Jesus we have to learn this lesson: learn to love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. In this day and age, not a lot of people talk about the things that Jesus hates, yet these are so incredibly important for us to consider.
Jesus hates Lukewarmness
In this section, we can gather at least 3 things that Jesus truly does hate, which cause us to be lukewarm:
1. Indifference. I suspect the metaphor rang out to you about the lukewarm food that Jesus gave. Think of your favorite ice cream- do you like it lukewarm? Think of your favorite soup- do you like it lukewarm? Jesus uses harsh words: “I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.” This is the God of the Universe. The most infinite and powerful Being. The only Being worthy of any worship- this Being deserves all worship. I’ve read a book a long time ago called The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. Do you see it in American Christianity- “Believing” in Jesus but living like there’s no God? That’s a dangerous place to be. It’s not enough to just say there is a God or believe Jesus existed. This is about our heart, our love, and our worship (Matthew 22:36-40).
2. Self-Reliance. We are not capable of saving ourselves or rescuing ourselves. There’s no point. We are an enemy to God until He transforms who we are and who we are devoted to. Listen to Jesus in the section above:
For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see… repent!
Jesus is calling us to rely on His saving ability and His grace and mercy. So, hear His call: “Repent!”
3. Idolatry. A running theme throughout the entire Bible is God’s hatred for anything that has a place in front of Him in our lives (click on this link to reread the article that discusses ‘mamona’). He even uses terms like “I am a jealous God” in Exodus 20:5. He can demand full devotion because He is the only object that is most desirable- nothing else is even close in comparison.
Solution
So what’s the solution? Try harder? Will myself to do more? No. We need to stop and run to Jesus. Repent! Literally, turn from what you’re doing and turn to Jesus. It’s not about the effort being made and trying hard enough. We need to be changed from the inside. We need to pray for eyes to see, ears to hear. Pray for our heart’s desires and affections to be changed to want Jesus more. We need to read out Bibles- not out of religious monotony or piety but to hear God’s voice. How can we say we don’t hear God speaking if we don’t read what He said He has spoken to us (aka the Word of God)?
-Austin
