At a recent women’s event, we played several fun games. One of the them involved putting a tongue depressor in your mouth and balancing pieces of candy on it. One person at the table was designated to be the tongue depressor holder. Several of us said “Absolutely not! I don’t like a tongue depressor in my mouth. It makes me gag!”
Don’t you know, I felt bad that no one wanted to be the designated gagger, so I said Yes.
It seemed to take forever to balance those candies on that little piece of wood stuck to my tongue. All the while, I was trying not to choke and gag. Finally it was over, and I spit that piece of wood out of my mouth as quickly as I could!
“So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16
After that game, I knew exactly how Jesus felt about the church in Laodicea. He wanted to spit them out of His mouth. Why? Because they are lukewarm. Neither hot nor cold. Emetic (an agent that induces vomiting; something good for little more than inducing vomiting). Tepid.
Tepid: lacking in passion, force or zest; marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction.
A lukewarm Christian is comfortable, complacent, and bland.
Kinda reminds me of Hollandaise sauce. What? You don’t see the connection? Hollandaise sauce has no color (bland), no fire (bland), and just sits there on top of the food (complacent). It’s a Tony Chachere’s wannabe.
The church at Laodicea was a materially wealthy church. This led them to become self-sufficient. Why, they had all the wealth they needed! What could Jesus give them? Sadly, their self-reliance led to pride, which turned into apathy. They were complacent. They had become spiritual Hollandaise.
Spiritual complacency and becoming lukewarm are slow and gradual. They creep into our lives and we may not notice immediately. How can we guard against becoming lukewarm, self-sufficient, and prideful? We can begin with an inventory of our hearts.
Here are a few questions to ask:
- Is my passion for Jesus still burning hot? If not, why?
- Is my prayer time fervent or bland? Is it all about me, me, me, or do I intercede on behalf of others? Do I adore and praise God, give Him thanks and offer confession for my apathy?
- Do I read scripture to check it off my to-do list, or to know Jesus more and more?
- Have I become self-sufficient or do I rely on guidance from Holy Spirit each and every minute of each and every day?
- Am I bored with church? Am I just going through the motions of church attendance and service to the body of Christ?
Take some time today to evaluate your walk with the Lord. Pray about ways to add fire and spice back into your walk. Aim to be a Tony Chachere’s Christian, not a Hollandaise Christian!
