For the past several weeks I have not been drinking
coffee. It typically is my morning beverage of choice. By midday I switch to
herbal teas or water, but that first steaming cup of coffee is welcomed in the
morning. On my first day to enjoy coffee again, I chose English toffee for the
flavor of Stevia to give that cup a hint of sweetness. I set up the coffee
maker that has recently had little use, and poured in fresh water.
As I poured that first cup of coffee, I saw swirls
of vapor rising from it. I was ready for a treat. Then I took that first sip and
was extremely disappointed. Despite the evidence of steam rising from the cup,
the coffee was merely warm. Although it was not undrinkable, it definitely was
not what I had imagined that first sip to be.
My coffee maker is one that has a reservoir for hot
water built into it. There is usually about two pots worth of hot water ready
to brew at any given time. When tap water is poured through the opening, it
forces the hot water into the brew chamber. Because of the lack of use, much of
this hot water had evaporated. The cold tap water which was intended to push
the hot through had instead mingled with the hot, causing the temperature to
drop significantly. The water had been warm enough to brew the coffee, but not
enough to create an enjoyable drink. It looked great but lacked the flavor to
be truly pleasurable.
If we are not careful, disappointments or busyness
of life can cause us to neglect our spiritual disciplines. Talking to and
hearing from God, through prayer and spending time in the Scriptures, are
critical to keeping our spirits full and hot. We have to continually refill the
reservoir in our hearts with the Holy Spirit. Then we can be ready to see and
meet the needs of those around us.
We can fall into a pattern where we are religiously
going through the motions, yet allowing the love and power of God to dry up
within us. Doing what the Lord has led us to in the past or looking at life
situations with our own reasoning may even appear godly on the surface.
Reading, praying and serving may continue to be a part of our lives, but more
out of habit than truly seeking and following God. We may look good to those
around us, but inside we are withering.
Jesus has some things to say about this. He
quoted the words of the prophet Isaiah. “These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their
hearts hold off and are
far away from Me.” (Matthew 15:8) To the spiritual rulers of
His day Jesus also said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For
you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the
outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure.” (Matthew
23:27 AMP) Through a messenger He directs this statement
to the church at Laodicea. “So, because
you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!” (Revelation
3:16 AMP) Outward motions, without an inward heart
reliance on Him, cannot and do not please
God.
We cannot allow form and ritual to take
over. We must truly seek God for daily direction in all that we do. Scripture
promises us, “Then you will seek Me, inquire
for, and require Me [as a vital
necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah
29:13 AMP) Each day we desperately need to open the
reservoirs of our hearts and allow God’s love to fill us and His fire to heat
us up. Then we can produce a truly steaming cup of God’s love, perfectly brewed
for hurting world. They are seeking this true love and we must help them to, “O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy,
fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes
refuge in Him.” (Psalm
34:8 AMP)
Open up and be filled with
a hot passion for God as you prepare to share His love with everyone you meet.
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