Coffee Sprinkler

The church in Laodicea, addressed by John in Revelation 3, had a problem that many of us struggle with today. The church in Laodicea was told that it was lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. There is little worse than craving an ice cold soda on a hot day, only to find that you never put your soda in the refrigerator. My little brother used to have the tendency to drink from whatever glass he found unattended in our home. This habit ended when he happened upon a two day old glass of coffee. His face contorted as he spit out coffee in various directions like a lawn sprinkler. As there is little purpose for a warm soda or room temperature glass of coffee, so is there little purpose for the lukewarm Christian. The Christians in Laodicea thought they needed nothing as they had already gained riches. They, like we often do, found a place of contentment and ceased to refine themselves.

The Christians in Laodicea became comfortable, stale, and weak. They were living what so many people call “The American Dream.” No matter how mature or educated we become in our walk with God, we still have much further to go. In 2 Corinthians 13:11, Paul tells the church in Corinth to “aim for perfection.” I know that I myself tend to think of perfection as so unattainable that I might as well not even try to achieve it. However, we must constantly find Satan’s targets and strengthen our defense in these areas. We must find new ways in which we can grow in spiritual maturity, educate ourselves in the knowledge of Christ, and use our gifts so that we do not become lukewarm.