Revelations 3:15,16 …You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
I once had the audacity to tell God that though I wanted him in my life, I did not want to get too radical. I preferred people to think of me as a kind doctor, normal husband and good father who happened to be a Christian, not a religious nut. At the time of that statement, I was sitting in treatment for chemical dependency, known as an addict.
We often want God in our lives without getting too carried away with him. We want God and a normal life. We want God and world, God and self, God and politics. God does not want to be just another merit badge on our chests though. If our faith in God is worth anything, it is worth everything.
The most dishonest thing I do is try to pursue God while pursuing myself. I think I can chase the best of both worlds. I want to follow the desires of my flesh and then sit in church, attempting to pursue God.
To this type of inconsistency, Jesus takes offense. Would that you were either cold or hot! Make a choice. Choose me or choose self. At least the one who pursues self is honest. You cannot chase me and you!
What is my life about? Am I living free from drugs, only to pursue some other defect? Am I willing to do what it takes to abandon all of me to follow all of God? I do not want to live the wandering, purposeless life and I do not want to pursue my flesh to destruction anymore.
If I desire God’s radical transformation, I must follow him above all, allowing everything else to fall into its proper place. If I do not want to be lukewarm anymore, I must make that choice daily.