Who would settle for lukewarm? You know lukewarm: right in the middle. Not warm enough for a hot drink or cold enough for a cold drink. Not cold enough for a cool swim or warm enough for a hot bath. Just in the middle. Laodicea knew all about lukewarm. In the Lycus valley there was cool water at a stream in Colosse, and hot springs in Hierapolis. Either way, by the time the water came by aqueduct to Laodicea it was lukewarm.
Anybody else ever live in Laodicea? The thing about the Christians there is that they were so content with mediocrity. In their independence, they boasted of their wealth and said to God, “We are fine. We don’t need anything at all. We can take care of ourselves with our substantial resources." But God saw them differently as people who were really wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. If we knew we were cold God could set us on fire. If we were on fire, he could send us on a mission. But lukewarm, we are no good to anyone.
How does God see us today? What if he removed our mask of self-sufficiency? In the first century and the twenty-first, we are absolutely dependent on God, whether we know it or not. God only disciplines those he loves. Thankfully, his discipline is redemptive, not punitive. God has no need to “get even” with us, but he will use all methods to get our attention. God has often placed me in the uncomfortable position of absolute dependence on him. As uncomfortable as it is, then, and only then does he have me right where he wants me. You, too? Declare your dependence!
