Yesterday, we had a deep discussion about Yeshua’s words when he said:
“I know your deeds,
that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm
—neither hot nor cold—
I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
-Revelation 3:15-16
Here’s the thing.
When we examine David’s life, we see he fits this description to a tee.
He swung both hot and cold with equal passion.
He was never chilling in the mediocre middle like the vast majority of mankind.
Also, if you think about it, this explains why God never abandoned him for his sins.
Ever wonder about that?
David committed death-penalty-worthy offenses, yet the Lord never cut him off like he did Saul.
Why?
Because David always had a passionate heart for God, whose burning fervor never wavered.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not saying it’s cool for a believer to go out and sin passionately and be proud about it.
Or to quote Paul:
“Do not say let’s sin more so that we can receive more grace.”
Paul’s answer to that notion was, “Heaven forbid!”
Rather, if you belong to the Lord, and you passionately swing in the other direction, what does Yeshua say?
“Those whom I love
I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest and repent.”
-Revelation 3:19
That’s your answer.
If you go hog wild sinning…
And you’re one of God’s own…
Be prepared for some stern disciplining coming your way!
We can see that’s exactly what happened with David.
Are you feeling me here?
My point is…
And I believe I’m in agreement with Yeshua here…
White hot passion for the Lord is good!
Exert yourselves!
This is exactly what the Shema of Deuteronomy 6 exhorts us to do:
“Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God,
The Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your strength.”
-Deuteronomy 6:4-5
I love those words “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
There’s nothing half-rear-ended about it.
YOU ARE TO GO ALL OUT, MAN!
ALL OUT!
This is the true Biblical definition of the term “exert.”
You are to be on fire for the Lord 24/7 with every fiber of your being and all of your resources.
This is what the Bible means when it talks about “passion” and “zeal” for the Lord!
This is BOTH an attitude AND AN ACTION!
It’s vigorous proactivity fueled by a no-holds-barred positive attitude.
So don’t ever think that taking the nice, never-offend-anybody position is okay with the Lord.
It ain’t.
Yeshua said he’ll vomit you out of his mouth for the bland, unsalted flavor your life demonstrates.
Too many folks out there who are NOT on fire for the Lord, and who are NOT actively serving God, think they’re on safe ground because they’re also not actively committing bad behavior or sinning.
They’re WRONG!
They’re the lukewarm crowd whom Yeshua so severely castigated.
Ya feel me?
Messiah makes it clear that when it comes to living out your life for him, doing nothing is far worse than slipping up and doing something wrong!
That’s right, man!
I’m saying, despite David committing death penalty-deserving adultery and murder…
He was more in favor with God than your average mediocre churchgoer who spends his or her life trying not to rock the boat or be confrontational on any topic…even if that person never committed a death penalty-worthy sin in all of his or her life.
Again, don’t misunderstand me here.
If you do wrong, you will be rebuked and punished.
But understand that’s a good sign.
Because God only disciplines His own!
You’re being disciplined and punished because the Lord loves you.
It’s a sign that you haven’t been rejected.
It’s the wimpy, don’t-do-anything-to-offend-anyone, non-passionate believers who are deep in the danger zone with God.
Why do I say they’re deep in the danger zone?
Because if you become too passive and too indifferent, you could cross the line of no return where the Lord cuts you off forever, as He did with King Saul.
That’s a loss of salvation, my friend.
And yup, I don’t believe in this once-saved-always-saved nonsense.
I can see why the mediocre-minded would love that doctrine, though.
So, where is that line denoting lukewarmness and mediocrity that, if crossed, will get you cut off?
I dunno man.
But I know it exists.
And because I know it’s there…
I recommend you stay as far away from it as you possibly can.
Alrighty, let’s close this baby.
When it comes to learning about the life of the great King David…
On the passion index, he operated on the extremes of the extremes.
When he was high, he hovered way above the mountain peaks…
And when he was low, he descended even below rock bottom, if that’s even possible.
God blessed him wonderfully for his highs, and cursed him terribly for his lows.
Yet there was ONE THING God never did to David.
He NEVER vomited him out of his mouth.
He did it to Saul for his passive and indifferent attitude toward His Torah.
Yet, he never did it to David.
Capiche?
The bottom line is that David exerted himself and had a burning passion for the Lord that we’d all do well to learn from, even if his passion got misdirected at times.
The takeaway for today is as simple as a couple of burning hotcakes on a griddle.
EXERT YOURSELF IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD…
OR RISK BEING VOMITED OUT!
Ya feel me?
Done.
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