Comfortable Christianity
By Christa Cottam
“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.”
Close your eyes and imagine a crystal-clear mountain stream—bubbling, energized and alive. Ah! Refreshing and inviting, right?
Now, picture a kiddie pool with a few inches of water that's been sitting there awhile—maybe a week or two. It's stagnant, stinky, festering and slimy. Yuck!
While my examples may seem pointless, I’ve discovered it’s an accurate comparison to what can happen in my faith life if I get too comfortable—if I decide that Jesus and I are good, and I can just coast for a while.
Comfortable Christianity are two words that should never go together, because I’ve discovered Christianity isn’t just a noun—a word that defines me—it’s a verb. We’re meant to be active in our faith! So, if we’re not constantly pursuing God and His will for us, or being challenged to grow, change, and stretch in our faith, then we’re dangerously close to the land of lukewarm Christianity.
It’s in this lukewarm land where things like complacency ("Whatever, I’m fine where I am.”), pride (“I’ve already put in my time. Someone else can do that.”) and self-righteousness (“Hey, I think I’m pretty good at this Christianity thing.”) can breed, and where passion, conviction, intimacy with God, and forward momentum begins to die. Comfort is also a precarious place where we tend to lower our guard against temptation.
Jesus says in Revelation 3 "because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Yikes! Harsh words, right? But they remind me that my faith is all-encompassing, that it’s something I live out daily rather than a thing I do on Sunday, that I am supposed to go all-in and leave a God-shaped imprint on this world.
Are you idle in your faith? Lay your complacency at God’s feet, and ask Him to reignite, refocus and reenergize your heart.
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Christa Cottam is a spunky woman with a fire in her belly to tell others about Jesus—how He brought her from being held down by a past filled with shame, guilt and unforgiveness to embrace God’s love and ultimately find freedom to be the person He created her to be. She is passionate about encouraging women to go deeper in their relationship with God. Christa also uses her gifts in the arts and leadership to make kingdom impact at her church, serving as a worship leader and volunteering in women’s ministry.
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Originally published Thursday, 19 October 2023.
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