Today's may be the most convicting of all devotionals. This one will hit you in the gut no matter where you think you are in your Spiritual Walk. It certainly did me! I am writing this devotional because I want us all to see really what Jesus thinks of us. He loves us yes, but is He pleased with us? I hope by the end of this devotional you will really pray about where you really think you are in your Spiritual Walk. I know for me I have some confessing, and some repenting to do. Let us see what Jesus says about being warm in our spiritual walk.
In Revelation 3:14-16, Jesus is writing to the angel of the church of Laodicea. From my understanding, Jesus is referring to the Pastor when he says "angel". The letter says, "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'." Jesus continues in the following verses why He is upset with this Church because of the things they are doing. I hope you will open up your Bible and finish reading what it says (link Rev. Ch 3). Also, if you go back or forward you will see His other 6 letters being written for John to take back to the Churches. So you know where this is being taken place, and the importance behind this letter, it is because John's spirit is in Heaven. He is being allowed to see and witness what is taking place, and what is going to take place soon to come.
The importance of this devotional is that all through the Bible, Jesus warns us how we need to conduct ourselves as a Christian, and not put on some Christian act. We may be able to fool some people, but we are not fooling everyone in the Church. Jesus even tells us we will even be able to tell by their actions. Matthew 7:16-17 says, "Jesus says, 'You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorns bushes or figs with thistles. Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit'." Do you see people in our Church acting like they shouldn't? Are you a person that is not acting or bearing the right fruit?
In Isaiah 29:13, The Lord says, "These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." So do we see people coming to Church for the wrong reason? I hear people say they go to large churches so they can get lost, or try and meet people for business connections. Well, if you are going to church to get lost, there is a very good chance you may be spiritually lost as well. Ouch, I know! Yes, I say this because that makes absolutely no sense. What you are saying is that you do not want to talk to anyone, meet anyone new, be involved in any ministry to help, and it is just about your selfish desires. Let me know how enjoyable your Church Worship continues to go. You will find no joy, and you will soon leave the church.
Now back to my point. We must as Christians do a 180 if we are not doing what God wants. He will spit us out of His mouth which tells me we disgust Him by our actions if we are not following and repenting our wrong doings. If we are truly Christians we will be saved, but I promise you this, you will not continue to act the way you do because someone will call you out, or God will find some way to discipline you so you will start focusing back on Him. I also want to point out if you are not a believer, and you are just playing the Christian Church role, someday you will be called out for this as well, but it will be too late to then repent.
Matthew 7:20-25 says, "Thus, by the fruits you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord', will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the Will of My Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name and in Your Name drive out demons and in Your Name performs many miracles'? Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers'!"
We all need to take this seriously in order for our Church to continue to be healthy. If we are not individually doing the things that honor God then you better do a self check right now. We as brothers and sisters need to call each other out in love when we see something that does not line up with Godly principles. Is it easy to do this without seeming self-righteous? No, but Jesus tells us to do it so they we can bring each other back to where we need to be. I know for me personally I do not always say, act, nor do the things I am supposed to do. This devotional is for me as well. There is a reason Jesus writes this letter to the Pastor of the Church. Although I am not the Pastor, I am in a leadership role that Jesus is watching very carefully. This scares me to death personally, but this is why I need you to also hold the leadership accountable as well. We need to be there for each other, and continue to grow in the Lord.
If you are not where you need to be spiritually, I pray that God will convict you to either accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life, or that you start leaning on Him more than ever before.
God bless, and I love you!!
E.