Journey Day 212

I just finished "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It has to be one of the best books I have ever read. It was convicting and eye opening, but it is obvious to me that the book was written with love! I'm not even sure where to begin. I want to use this book to make changes in my own life, but there is just so much information! I guess I will start with this: The characteristics of a lukewarm christian...

-Lukewarm people attend church fairly often because it is expected of them. Isaiah 29:13 says, "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 made up only of rules taught by men.' " It isn't enough to just show up to church every Sunday. Those are rules made by man, not by God, so through them it seems you are worshipping man more than you are worshipping the creator of the universe.

-Lukewarm people choose what is popular over what is right. Their desire is to fit in, and so everything they do is for show, but on the inside their heart is rotten. They care more about what people think, than what God thinks.

-Lukewarm people aren't looking to be saved from their sins, just the penalty. That means they just don't want to spend eternity in hell, but they don't really want to give up their sins. Jesus died on the cross to take our sins, so that we would recieve his gift and no longer sin! He didn't die so that we could go to heaven, but just keep on sinning on earth.

-Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with others. They deny God because they fear rejection. But the bible tells us that if we deny Jesus on earth he will deny us to His father in heaven!

-Lukewarm people gauge how good they are by comparing their life and actions to the secular people they know. It makes them feel better because they are not as "bad" as the world. But we are supposed to be set apart! We can't compare our lives to people that are lost!

-Lukewarm people say that they love Jesus, and he is a part of their lives BUT he is only a part of the whole. God doesn't just want one part of our lives, he wants the whole thing!! He wants to be apart of every moment and every action. We can't just check Him off our list for the day and move on.

-Lukewarm people do love God, but they don't love Him with all that they are! They think that that kind of love is only for the pastors and radicals, but in reality that kind of love is crucial for us all!

-Lukewarm people love others, but they do not love, nor do they seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love focuses on loving those that treat them with love in return. But Matthew 5 tells us, "LOVE your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

-Lukewarm people will serve God and others but there are limits on how much they are willing to give. The bible is pretty direct when it tells us that there should be no limits on what we are to give God... "Sell everything you have, and give to the poor." God requires more of us then just the bare minimum. Remember if it wasn't for God, we would have nothing!

-Lukewarm people think about their life on earth more than they think about their future in heaven. They focus on "to-do" lists and schedules instead of thinking of their eternity in heaven. If we remembered that this world is not on our home maybe we would approach our days with ease and stress less.

-Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and don't think about giving as much away to the poor as possible. But we need to remember "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

-Lukewarm people do whatever they can to keep themselves from feeling guilty. They do the bare minimum, they want to be good enough without going above and beyond. This happens in so many areas! Our purity... "how far is too far?" our giving... "how much do I have to give?" instead of "how much can I give?" and perhaps the saddest of all, "How much time should I spend reading my bible?" instead of "I have to stop reading? already?"

-Lukewarm people always play it safe and always feel like they have to be in control. They take little to no risks for God, which keeps them from growing to their full potential. When we step out in faith, we have to depend on God to come through for us, and He will.

-Lukewarm people feel safe because they grew up in the church, or are aligned with whom they view as the "chosen people." Just as the isrealites were not safe just because they were israelites, we are not safe just because we are American or because we grew up in the church. We have to have a relationship with God, and we have to pursue him!

-Lukewarm people do not live by faith. In fact if they stopped believing in God not much in their life would change. We need to be so dependent on God that He is our life.

and last but not least...

-Lukewarm people drink and swear less, but other than that they don't look very different from an unbeliever. Drinking and swearing less on it's own does not make you a follower of Christ. That requires making God the most important part of your life.

I know that this list was convicting for me! A lot of these apply to my own life and that just makes my heart hurt. I don't want to be lukewarm, Iwant to be on fire for God! It's time to make some changes. I know this is a bit of a long post, but I really felt like it was important. Important for me to remember and you to remember.