Lukewarm?

Lukewarm?

I’ve been a coffee lover from the moment I tasted the stuff. Back then (maybe 12 or 13 years of age) I would put a little sugar in my coffee but I quickly learned to drink it just black. I’ve tried a variety of different beans over the years but have for the most part settled on Colombian as my favorite.

Did I mention that I prefer my coffee hot? I had sipped a couple of iced coffees before and thought, “meh.” My preference has always definitely been hot, black coffee . . . until last weekend. I was attending City of Hope Outreach’s “Photo 4 Hope” exhibit at Round Mountain Coffee. Kyle Sackhoff was running the place and asked me to taste some Nitro Cold Brew. Skeptically I took a sip and I made a new discovery. I like some cold coffees.

However, there is one coffee I will absolutely never, ever like . . . coffee that has reached a temp of being lukewarm. It’s happened to me before and I’m sure to you too. You’ve let that cup of joe set on your desk or table a little too long and not realizing it, reached over to get a refreshing sip of “pick me up” when . . . “YUCK!!” Lukewarm nightmares begin to assault your taste buds. You may have even feared that you would never enjoy this dark elixir again it was so bad. I was so thankful for the ability to discreetly spit that evil drink back into the cup.

My experience with lukewarm coffee makes me cringe when I think of how the Lord must have felt about the church at Laodicea. It seems that within that body of believers had crept a comfortable self reliance that had brought the temperature of these folks to a degree of absolute uselessness. These guys had become so tepid that they didn’t even realize their true need for a Savior to refresh them with the passion of spiritual blessing that could only be supplied by Him.

It may be that you see yourselves in the same mirror the Laodiceans had in their bathrooms. You look at your image and say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” Yet Jesus sees the portrait of your heart which says “you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” No wonder he spit (literally vomited) them out of his mouth. Yet characteristically of the Lord, He offers the opportunity to become refreshed, and therefore refreshing, once again.

To reach a point of becoming zealous for Jesus and repenting from time in front of that deceptive mirror mentioned above, is certainly the first step we make back towards close fellowship with Him. From there we begin to hear that friendly knock on the door and as we open our hearts He walks in for close times at the table where we eat together and share in the delight of a wonderful meal. I’m sure this time we top it off with our favorite refreshment that is hot or cold but never lukewarm.

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