When I was in college, there were certain courses I had to take that were required for me to graduate. Some of them I didn’t like but I had to complete them to fulfill my requirements. For example, I do not like chemistry at all. But I had to take Chemistry I and Chemistry II, plus the lab courses to go with each lecture. The lectures would bore me to death and I just hated having to balance chemical equations, or memorizing the periodic table. To me the information just didn’t make sense and I didn’t see the point in doing all that work. For the lab sessions I use to enjoy them a little more just because we would mix chemicals and cool things would happen. I did everything needed to pass the course but that didn’t change my feelings towards it—I still didn’t have any desire for chemistry. If taking the course was an option I would have never taken it.
That situation is similar to the way some of us look at our spiritual life. Are we going to church and serve the Lord because it is a requirement or because we love the Lord? If there is no love for God, there will be no passion to do his will or to serve him.
I know that I love working with computers and other technical things. No matter how challenging the courses were I would still take them. Even when people told me I didn’t have to take them I still took those courses because I had a desire to learn more about technology and figure out new ways of solving technical issues. I would read a lot of technical books, go to technical seminars, compete in engineering competitions, and everything that allowed me to learn more about technology.
It is the same with the Lord. If you love him you will go to every service possible, and everything that you can attend to learn more about him. You will also read and study the Bible to gain a deeper understanding about him. No one has to force you to come to church, raise your hand, participate in church activities, or go out and tell others about the Lord because those things would be a natural reaction from your passion for the Lord. When you love something or someone you want to tell others about it. You are excited to tell others your testimony and share the gospel with them.
Believe it or not when I ask some people why they go to church, or why they live a certain lifestyle they normally respond, “Because I have to do it to go heaven.” Would they continue to do it if it was not a requirement to go to heaven? I believe that we need to stop living our lives with the mindset that we are a Christian because it is a requirement to go to heaven. We should live our lives as a Christian because we want to be one and because we love the Lord.
If there is no heaven, we should still serve God for all the things he has done for us. We should love him for all the situations he has brought us through. We should love him for life, health, strength, a job, a home, family, and all of his blessings towards us.
Ever wonder why some members in your church don’t praise and worship the Lord? Or why the service is dragging and no one seems to have a desire to get out of their comfort zone to serve the Lord? Maybe it is because they don’t have a desire to really be there. They might just go there because the Bible says so and they are fulfilling their requirement. But when a person has a passion for the Lord, they are shouting and praising the Lord before they even enter into the house of the Lord.
Before you point your figure at another brother or sister, check yourself. You might be the one that lack the passion for the Lord. One person can help to blaze a fire in the church but one person can also help to put out a fire. So be careful. We should never hinder the spirit of God from moving in a service because we lack the passion to be there.
If you find yourself lacking the passion, return to the cross on your knees, repent and ask the Lord to give you that passion.
A person who serves God ONLY because it is a requirement to me is lukewarm. They don’t love it so they are not (HOT) and they may not completely hate it (COLD), so to me they are in the middle. There might be few that completely hate it but most people are in the middle. What did the Lord say about people who are lukewarm? In Revelations chapter 3 verse 15 and 16, the Bible states, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would rather thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither hot or cold, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
So take a look at your life and the reason why you are living your life. Are you doing it because it is a requirement that you have to fulfill to go to heaven? Or are you doing it because you truly love the Lord? Think about it!
That situation is similar to the way some of us look at our spiritual life. Are we going to church and serve the Lord because it is a requirement or because we love the Lord? If there is no love for God, there will be no passion to do his will or to serve him.
I know that I love working with computers and other technical things. No matter how challenging the courses were I would still take them. Even when people told me I didn’t have to take them I still took those courses because I had a desire to learn more about technology and figure out new ways of solving technical issues. I would read a lot of technical books, go to technical seminars, compete in engineering competitions, and everything that allowed me to learn more about technology.
It is the same with the Lord. If you love him you will go to every service possible, and everything that you can attend to learn more about him. You will also read and study the Bible to gain a deeper understanding about him. No one has to force you to come to church, raise your hand, participate in church activities, or go out and tell others about the Lord because those things would be a natural reaction from your passion for the Lord. When you love something or someone you want to tell others about it. You are excited to tell others your testimony and share the gospel with them.
Believe it or not when I ask some people why they go to church, or why they live a certain lifestyle they normally respond, “Because I have to do it to go heaven.” Would they continue to do it if it was not a requirement to go to heaven? I believe that we need to stop living our lives with the mindset that we are a Christian because it is a requirement to go to heaven. We should live our lives as a Christian because we want to be one and because we love the Lord.
If there is no heaven, we should still serve God for all the things he has done for us. We should love him for all the situations he has brought us through. We should love him for life, health, strength, a job, a home, family, and all of his blessings towards us.
Ever wonder why some members in your church don’t praise and worship the Lord? Or why the service is dragging and no one seems to have a desire to get out of their comfort zone to serve the Lord? Maybe it is because they don’t have a desire to really be there. They might just go there because the Bible says so and they are fulfilling their requirement. But when a person has a passion for the Lord, they are shouting and praising the Lord before they even enter into the house of the Lord.
Before you point your figure at another brother or sister, check yourself. You might be the one that lack the passion for the Lord. One person can help to blaze a fire in the church but one person can also help to put out a fire. So be careful. We should never hinder the spirit of God from moving in a service because we lack the passion to be there.
If you find yourself lacking the passion, return to the cross on your knees, repent and ask the Lord to give you that passion.
A person who serves God ONLY because it is a requirement to me is lukewarm. They don’t love it so they are not (HOT) and they may not completely hate it (COLD), so to me they are in the middle. There might be few that completely hate it but most people are in the middle. What did the Lord say about people who are lukewarm? In Revelations chapter 3 verse 15 and 16, the Bible states, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would rather thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither hot or cold, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
So take a look at your life and the reason why you are living your life. Are you doing it because it is a requirement that you have to fulfill to go to heaven? Or are you doing it because you truly love the Lord? Think about it!
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