$3 Worth of God

 

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,

but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine.
I don't want enough of him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.
I want ecstasy, not transformation.
I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth.
I want about a pound of the eternal in a paper sack.
I'd like to buy $3 worth of God, please.
                                                           Wilbur Reese

In Revelation 3 we read Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 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. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

 

This is pretty intense. Jesus would rather we were cold than lukewarm!

That's really in your face. How committed to Jesus are you? How committed am I?

Where would we be if Jesus was only as committed to us as we are to him. Where would we be if only 25% of our sin was paid for? Or even 90% for that matter. (Although that's kind of the point of the gospel isn't it.)

But for sure, Jesus wants us to be at the hot end of the scale, not lukewarm.

 

In 1 Corinthians 3 we read how at the judgement our work will be tested by fire. If it is just wood, hay, stubble it will be burned. If it is gold, silver, precious stones, it will survive and we will receive our reward.

Btw: this is not about salvation, your salvation is secure. It's about your reward based on your actions.

I remember reading a book once about a man who had a dream after reading this passage. He stood as his life works were carried out and piled up in front of him. Then, after the fire he looked at the pile to see what was remaining, but there was nothing there but ash.

Close your eyes and imagine your pile of works, and the fire... Imagine looking down and seeing nothing but ash.

 

DL Moody is famous for saying "The world is yet to see what God can do through one man fully committed to him". Of course he wasn't including Jesus. He was challenging us, and himself.

You know whether you could be more devoted to God. You know if you're lukewarm.

 

Some years ago Watchman Nee wrote a whole book about this called "The Normal Christian Life". It's about a life lived 100% for Jesus. A life filled with joy and power. A life like that of the apostle Paul, or Peter. Yet he concluded that this is "normal". This is the kind of life that every Christian is supposed to lead. It's not for the elite few. It's God's plan for all of us. If we would only commit ourselves to him 100%.

 

Of course that's not going to be the easy life. Jesus said that before you start building a tower you should count the cost. Before you go to war you should check out your enemy. There will be a cost. But there is also a massive cost to NOT being committed to Jesus. Nobody wants to end up with just a pile of ash.

 

We can so easily get caught up striving for money, for food, for houses, worried about "stuff" and how we will provide for our families. And we do need some of these things. But even so, Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God, and then all these things will be added to you.

 

$3 worth of God is not enough. Spend all you have. However hot you are for Jesus, crank it up a notch. Don't settle for lukewarm. Don't settle for mediocrity. Live a full-on Christian life, 100% devoted to Jesus.

 

Live a normal Christian life.