Thermostat

"Howard, this fridge isn't cooling very  well," I said as I got out our breakfast preparations.

"Well, turn it up!" was his reply. 

Then I looked at the dial and found it was only set about halfway.  I quickly turned it to the coldest setting. I know the shelves get  too full, what with our many leftovers preventing proper air circulation, but I had nearly emptied it recently.

This got me thinking about the spiritual lives of believers.  Often we get lukewarm, and our relationship with the Lord needs to be turned up to a higher level! Jesus said he would rather we be cold or hot. I  hate lukewarm milk, and would spew it out of my mouth, just like Jesus said in Revelation 3:16, "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth."

Sometimes we get filled up with leftovers.  Leftover grievances. Someone hurt our feelings, maybe years ago, and deep down, we have never gotten over it. Someone did us wrong, or someone else got the promotion or award that should have been ours. Leftovers stink after awhile! They get all moldy and dangerous.  It's best to forgive and throw out those old hurts and disappointments.

Our granddaughter attends a week-night church program for teens.  Every week for months she was the most attentive, knew all the memorization scriptures, was well-liked by all, and when it came time for the award at the end of the school year, all the kids assured her it would be hers. And she expected, it, too, but it went to the most unruly, uncooperative student in the class:  the superintendent's son. She cried, but I think she has put it behind her now.

A couple of days ago, I noticed a pot of flowers I have hanging on my porch.  Unfortunately,  all the pretty blooms were facing outside,  so I turned the basket of  flowers around so I could enjoy the blossoms. The next time I looked, all the flowers were turned backwards on their stems facing the sun!

Not that they were hot or cold, but their DNA was to face the sun!  To be hot with the joy of His presence, we must face the Son!

Today while we were in town I noticed a temperature reading on a lit-up sign that  said 78 degrees.  "Well, it will sure be hotter than that this afternoon," I  remarked, "It's supposed to get to 102." When I got out of the car, it felt that hot already.  The gauge  was wrong!  Sometimes we have to check our spiritual gauge.  Are we negligent in church attendance? Slack in supporting the work of God? Not keeping a close relationship with Him? Face the Son! Where the temperature is just right!