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Fire It Up
By Suzanne Leitz |
Lukewarm.
As Christians, that's something we never want
to be. In Revelation 3:16 Jesus says He will spit the lukewarm ones out
of His mouth. Better that we were hot or cold than lukewarm, He says!
How does one become lukewarm?
Have you noticed that as long as the fire is
burning under a kettle of water, the water will remain hot? However, as soon
as that fire goes out the water begins losing heat, and eventually, if not
returned to the fire, it becomes lukewarm.
In our lives as Christians we become lukewarm
when we are drawn away form God, our Power Source. We become lukewarm by
neglecting the things of God, by allowing our attentions to be drawn away from
Him.
Now, you may be at church every time the doors
open. You may be a member of the choir. You may play the church piano or
organ. You may sing a special every other Sunday. You may be a leader in your
Sunday school class. You can be one or all of these and STILL be lukewarm. To
avoid being lukewarm, your relationship with God must be first priority in
your life. You may be involved in many activities which are GOOD and which are
NOT SIN, but if you neglect your personal relationship with God, YOU
WILL BECOME LUKEWARM.
In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul says we should
STIR UP the gift God has placed within us. In the Amplified Bible, we see that
to stir up is to (1) rekindle the embers, (2) fan the flame, and (3) keep it
burning. In some of us the embers are barely smoldering, barely warm, and we
need to rekindle those embers, fan the flame and keep it burning. How? In 2
Timothy 1:8 Paul continues this thought by exhorting us to "Be not thou
therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord..."
When you begin to put God first by
fellowshipping with Him, that is, reading His Word and talking to Him every
day, you will begin to notice things He is doing in your life, and when you
notice these things, TELL SOMEBODY about them. When you tell others what God
is doing in your life, you are keeping the flame burning.
You have a choice every day: to be spiritually
hot, cold, or lukewarm. If you're not hot, stir up that which God has placed within
you. Rekindle the embers, fan the flame, and keep it burning by telling others
what God has done for you.
DON'T BE ASHAMED OR AFRAID, for as Paul says in
2 Timothy 1:7, God has not given up the spirit of fear, but of POWER,
and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
Make the right choice. Be on fire for
God.
© 2003 by Suzanne Leitz |
Power Tools:
Revelation
3:16
2
Timothy 1:6
2
Timothy 1:7
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