Revelation 3:14-16 
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, 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 will spit you out of My mouth.’”

In this Bible passage, we see a church that believes it is doing well, and yet the Lord warns them of their sin. They have become lukewarm. I believe this is an easy trap to fall into. We can become convinced that we are doing well if life is “good.”

Pastor German taught a timely message at the start of the year “Consider Your Ways.” Self-reflection is key as we walk with the Lord. In my walk of faith, there is consistent tension between my flesh and spirit (Romans 8). My flesh desires comfort, ease, and self-focus. If I leave it up to me, I will never do uncomfortable things, such as: sharing, loving, and praying for others. Simply put, if I had it my way I would only live for myself.

We make these choices every day. Question: Am I walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit? Please consider this picture. A person wakes up every day and can stay in their warm comfy bed or venture out in the Lord’s strength. They can even get up and walk around covered in those same blankets to stay nice and warm, never looking at others or even thinking of anyone else. They (we) need to kick those warm blankets off and move with the Spirit - EVERYDAY. That fleshly desire to stay comfortable and live a life of ease is a trap. These blankets of comfort are an invitation to be lukewarm.

I have been chewing on this question for some time. Is my focus to live in comfort and avoid any discomfort? I know for myself I have to fight a constant desire to live an easy life. Please hear me. We all need a place of rest and peace with the Lord but we can’t live like this 24/7. We know that Jesus often went away to spend time with His Father and pray. We need to model likewise and also be “doers” of the Word.

What is the Lord saying to you? Each of us has a special life in Christ to live - every day. The beautiful thing is that the Lord calls us to work all of this out together. We need one another and complement one another. We can be encouraged that what we are struggling with isn’t unique and often is the same thing others are struggling with. We are all a work in progress!

Isaiah 60:1-2
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth. And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you. And His glory will appear upon you.

So, let’s kick off these lukewarm blankets that try to hold us down and let our lights shine!

Blessings,

Tom and Joy Bollig