“ Our desire for control — for logic , for reason , for that which makes sense to us — is one of the biggest factors in why we don ’ t have more of God .”
Back when we had permed hair and were twentysomething vibrant , we used to talk about how we hoped God would never send us as missionaries to Africa .
My best friend and I recently revisit this twenty-year-old conversation : how while we walked the halls of a seminary where we studied God , we secretly feared a call on our lives that would make us do something radical and hard . Now , on one hand , we cringe at this . We want to judge it and call it ignorance or selfishness or being really young or thinking life was just up to us , but then we step back , pause , and get honest .
Were we really that different from most believers ? We say we want God but sit with fingers crossed behind our backs , hoping He will never ask us to do something too sacrificial .
The truth is that our fear was never really about Africa . Africa just represented something that was unknown . Africa got blamed for what was really a small faith — a mindset whereby we could love God but never let that love interrupt our plan for a beautiful house , a handsome husband , three kids , a dog or two , manicured nails , church on Sunday , and cute jeans . It was never about Africa . It was about wanting life both ways .
Somewhere in the midst of the daily whirlwind of life , we have convinced ourselves that we can live in the in-between when it comes to God . We are convinced we can make our faith what we want it to be — customize it like we do with food at restaurants , ordering faith to fit our tastes . But when we become followers of Christ , we don ’ t get to make up the script . It ’ s either all God or no God , He says .
I think of the church at Laodicea and feel akin . If I ’ m honest , I also feel scared and convicted . God is always blunt and to the point . But these verses are awakeners of a different kind .
“ I know you inside and out , and find little to my liking . You ’ re not cold , you ’ re not hot — far better to be either cold or hot ! You ’ re stale . You ’ re stagnant . You make me want to vomit .” ( Revelation 3:15 – 16 msg )
The idea that I could make God want to vomit chills me to the bone .
“ Our desire for control — for logic , for reason , for that which makes sense to us — is one of the biggest factors in why we don ’ t have more of God .”
But I am the church at Laodicea . We are the church at Laodicea . We may be hotter than we are cold , less stale and stagnant than we used to be , and , indeed , we should be grateful for the forward progress . But God doesn ’ t compare us to ourselves as the measuring stick . He compares us to Him .
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