April 11 | Revelation 3:14-19

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DAILY READING 

Revelation 3:14-19

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REFLECTION

Turn Up the Heat!

by Judy Webb

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16)

The Voice version of this text reads: because you are neither cold with apathy not hot with passion…

Lukewarm: useless to Christ because of complacency and indifference. So, it isn’t wise to claim the middle of the road as a resting place. Sitting on the fence could cause us to topple over, and strong wind or fence shaking could prove disastrous.

My small group is studying the Book of Esther, a story of mounds of courage and piles of determination, but not before a mountain of fence-sitting. Esther had a lukewarm heart, a shy personality along with a weak belief in her Jewish ancestry. She momentarily forgot the battles her ancestors fought; the freedom they grasped after being rescued from slavery in Egypt to a promised land of freedom.

Esther, a poor orphan, was taken in by her Uncle Mordecai. As a beautiful young woman, she had the opportunity to leave poverty and join the world of royalty, rich royalty that grossly flaunted its riches. They were wasteful, reclining on couches of gold and silver; they ate and drank with no restrictions.

Esther’s survival instincts were strong, though a lukewarm Jew. She hid in the shadows, keeping her heritage secret to safeguard her life. Until one day she was forced to take a stand, to acknowledge her heritage and jump down off that fence and boldly take her place in history. At that moment, she went from lukewarm, to on fire for her people and her actions saved a nation.

So, where does that leave you and me? Have we also been brought to our place in the world “for such a time as this?” I believe so. When we live a safe life, if we never take a stand, or speak up for right in a world that reveres wrong; we are lukewarm. What Jesus wants to change is our middle of the road walk. A lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life.

A lukewarm Christian hasn’t learned the value of generosity, doesn’t understand that we are to share our wealth and our faith. Just look around and discern what God is telling you or asking you to do. Take a stand, lend a hand, share your story, then hop off the fence and heat up the room!

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PRAYER PRACTICE

Dear Jesus,

Sometimes we need a wake-up call. It is likely that our world desperately needs Christians to be bold and take a stand for what is right, and call out what is wrong. Come Holy Spirit, light a fire under us today. Amen.

April 10 | Hebrews 13:5-8

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DAILY READING

Hebrews13:5-8

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REFLECTION

Never, Never, Never, Never, Never

by Beth Voltmann

As humans, we have a natural, sinful tendency to cling to those things that we believe will

protect us, provide for us, and bring us happiness and security. Money is just one of many idols

that competes with God for our hearts, but as believers, we know that we are to store up

treasures in heaven, not on earth.

James cautioned believers to keep their lives free from the love of money and to be content

with what they have... “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

According to Charles Spurgeon (in the Blue Letter Bible commentary), if this passage were to be translated with the full emphasis of the Greek meaning given, it might loosely read, “He hath said, I will never, never leave thee; I will never, never, never forsake thee.” James, the brother of Jesus, who once doubted that Jesus was the promised Messiah, became one of the leading elders of the church after Christ’s ascension. He urged the church to consider and imitate how he and the other apostles lived out their faith, trusting that God would always provide, defend, protect, and love them. They believed that God would always be true to his promises.

Do you believe God? The response to all of life hinges on this. God is enough! When you find yourself running after the things of this world in the hope that you will find security, provision, help, or hope...turn your eyes back to Jesus and ask yourself:

• When will God leave me? NEVER

• When will God forsake (desert or abandon) me? NEVER

• When will I be without a helper? NEVER

• When should I be afraid? NEVER

• When should I stop trusting in God’s provision? NEVER
  

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Trust him, believe in him, love him with your whole heart. He is enough!

May we give praise that God is “never gonna let us go."

“King of My Heart” Bethel Music

PRAYER

Lord God, we ask forgiveness when we devote our hearts to things of this world that will not

satisfy or save us. Stir within us a heart to follow, to be content with what we have, and to

devote our lives to trusting in Jesus. We want to say with full confidence, “The Lord is my

helper; I will not be afraid.” Thank you that you are always faithful to your promises. Amen

April 9 | Ecclesiastes 5:10-18

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DAILY READING

Ecclesiastes 5:10-18

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REFLECTION

Enough is Enough, Right?

by Dan Kidd

Whoever loves money never has enough.

Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.

This too is meaningless.

Over the next several weeks, we will be considering how Jesus' Gospel sets us free, specifically as it pertains to our wealth, possessions, and what we treasure. And today's passage plainly emphasizes something important: the love of money, the tireless pursuit of acquisition and storing up wealth, is utterly meaningless. It's as futile as trying to grab hold of the wind. So why is this so tempting to so many of us? Why do we collect things, store up resources, hoard away our money, and pursue even more? Why are we inclined to prefer abundance rather that sufficiency?

Enough is enough, isn't it? Surely it should be. This is an old and practical Bible lesson. God provides what we need, like manna in the wilderness, and when we take more than enough it spoils. Like the wisdom-collector and teacher, Ecclesiastes, observes, when goods are simply stored up they ultimately become useless but to be a feast for the eyes. Surely we can do better than to collect goods to feast our eyes on, right? Yes, we can. But it's not always so easy as that. Because the lines between what is sufficient and what is abundant aren't as clear as I'd like them to be. Will I know when that little more that I want is more than enough?

But as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.

For some, perhaps many, this seems entirely counterintuitive. Surely we can imagine (or know intimately) how poverty can cause sleeplessness? But so can abundance. And perhaps we know that intimately also? Because the truth is that contentment isn't primarily dependent on what we have or don't have. That's not to say they're not related, but it if foolishness--meaningless--to pursue riches as though they are satisfaction. Certainly riches don't ensure peace, contentment, or restfulness. We can know that by looking to the richest among us. So why do we think they would? Why can we not help but think that if only we were a little richer things would be better?

The wisdom-collector tells us wealth is a fickle and fleeting thing to put our trust in. Either we hoard it and harm ourselves, we suffer misfortune and lose it, or we die and leave the world as empty-handed as we entered it. Do we not see the evidence of that all around us? Fortunately, our treasure nor our trust needs to be found in our earthly wealth. Because the Lord is trustworthy, we can be set free of a life lived depending on things that will rot, break, or go missing, and instead receive freedom and hope in the richness of God's provisions and heavenly treasures.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, we ask that you draw us deeper into our dependence on you. We pray that you would replace our endless desires for more with a contentment for what you deem is enough. Make us to be rich in love, goodness, and every heavenly gift. Train our eyes to look on the things that you have provided us, and not to the things we wish you'd provided us. Allow us, Lord, to feast on the sufficiency of your daily bread. Amen.