Lukewarm

We are told in the Bible that being lukewarm for God is totally wrong. When we aren't sure where we want to be with God we are in the middle. There is no middle ground when it comes to following God. We have to be on His side or none at all. We can't "ride the fence"......as I used to tell the youth group all those years ago. It's hard living the Christian life. It's hard to live like Jesus calls us to. The influences of this world will constantly come after us.....no matter how old we are or how close we are to God. The key to overcoming our temptations to follow the world is to spend time in prayer with our Maker and follow His words. This will help tremendously. We will still be tempted but always have a way out......

I found a list of ways to how NOT to be a lukewarm Christian......

1. Praise God......This is easier said than done. How often do I get frustrated and forget to praise Him. Even in my frustration I am still shown grace. I'm still alive and can move my body. I can still walk and talk even though I'm frustrated. I need to praise God anyway, even when I don't "feel" like it. 

2. Seek out ways to love  people.......again easier said than done. How can I love better? I wrote a New Years  blog on this topic. Spending time with people is fun. Being intentional in forming relationships to share eventually about Jesus is another way to love better. Just being kind and compassionate is another way to love better. Listen when people talk......which I do at my job. (When people check into thr ER they spill all their problems on you.....I'm glad I can be there to listen and offer support, but that's beside the point) 

3. Receive and extend grace. .....we get grace from God and if we claim to be Christians we need to extend that grace to others. This one is simple, but one we need to keep doing. 

4. Seek to understand others, verses judging them.......I've always reasoned to myself that people act the way they do for a reason. It could be reasons that we can't understand, but this would play into the one of seeking ways to live people better. Once we get to know the situation, we can better understand. 

5. Always proclaim the gospel......Jesus was/is God, born to a virgin for the sins of mankind. He died on a cross for the very sins that separate us from a holy God. He took Gods wrath in our place. For those who believe this in their heart and repent, they are chosen for eternity with God. We need to tell ourselves this as well as others. This is vital to our Christian walk. We need a reminder each day of what Jesus did for us. We need to keep the gospel in the front of our mind......always. Jesus gave up heaven to come to this sin cursed earth for us. The least we can do is remember his sacrifice for our sin and give him praise and glory for it all. 

All these things can help us not be a lukewarm Christian. We always need our savior and he deserves our praise and honor.