Food 4 The Road Daily Devotion

by Paul Sheldon: Author of “A Voice From The Pew”

September 22, 2016

Good Morning:

If you were to ask my wife to describe me I believe one of the words she might choose to use is; hot.  Not necessarily in the physical description sort of way, but more along the lines of temperature, such as passionate or intense, and yes even body heat. She’s often stated that I’m like a furnace in that I’m warm all the time. In a different line of thinking, my own pastor and a few friends have all stated, “you’ve got to be the most intense individual I’ve known.”  From my perspective that isn’t always a good thing, because too much heat tends to burn people, and if it were not so then why do we make statements like: “If you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen!”

Anyway, my point is that following Christ develops a passion that can be, should be, ALL consuming.  When you go to cook a meal you wouldn’t just throw the food into the oven would you?  Why, because it needs to heat up right?  The same is true with our relationship with Christ as we see here in Revelation 3:15, “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.” We cannot tolerate the passion of the Cross or the love that held Him there; because it’s too intense and we often don’t feel worthy of it. But when we walk WITH Him, learn from Him, and experience His love, we begin to warm up.

     Let me approach this from a different direction if I may.  I’ve read and used this example before and it describes this subject perfectly.  A Silversmith will heat silver up until it releases the impurities, or dross.  He continues this process until he can see his reflection in the melted metal, and when he can see himself, this is when he knows the silver is pure.  This same process applies to a follower of Christ.  Situations occur that heat us up, and once we can release the sin, or selfish behaviors, He takes them away.  The process continues over a lifetime, but each time is a purification and a tempering of our character until we begin to reflect our Heavenly Father. So heat can be a blessing as much as a curse, but we must understand that a fervent relationship with our Heavenly Father doesn’t just happen, it’s a process.   

Be blessed!

Paul Sheldon