Hot for God

      My middle son, Kenan, was eating his oatmeal the other day when he accidentally burned his mouth. In an attempt to help him I said, "You have to eat from the edge of the bowl. The oatmeal is cooler out there."  At that moment, I was reminded of those who have drifted from God and grown cold to his ways as a result of positioning themselves on the fringe of what God is doing.  They once met with God's people gladly, tasting of His goodness in the center of the crowd, but now they hover on the fringes, attending worship services only occasionally, motivated more by guilt than by love. Their service to God is still present on some level, but their love for the Lord has grown cool.  Likewise, their beliefs remain intact, but their theology is "on ice." This was no overnight change for them. No, the further from the center of God's people they drifted, the more they waned in their affections.

Hebrews 3:12 charges us, "See to it that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."  There are several assertions here. The first is that we're responsible for the spiritual health of our brothers and sisters. This might be hard for us to swallow in this culture of rampant individualism, but it's what the Bible teaches.  Another assertion is that we must be together - not once a month, not once a week, but daily. Somehow, we must be in each other's lives, keeping one another accountable, and in turn, submitting ourselves to the examination and exhortation of others.  Again, this is a challenge in our society where self-sufficiency is exalted. Finally, contrary to popular belief, we're not closer to God in the woods than when we're with God's people.  In fact, if we insist on repeatedly excusing ourselves from public worship in order to pursue our hobbies and amusements, then we will certainly cool in our affections for God.  This is why the writer of Hebrews, after charging us to encourage one another daily, continues by saying, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb 10:25).

      Many might see this as nothing but a command to be followed, but more than that, it's a prescription for life and blessedness! We tell our kids not to run across the street, not to keep them from playing with their friends, but to keep them from getting hit by a car!  Likewise, God tells us not to neglect meeting together, not so we'll miss out on weekends at the lake, but so we'll be in the center of his will and his blessing.  He knows that the closer we are to his people, the hotter our affections will be and the greater our love for him - and the greater our love for him, the happier we'll be.