The Lukewarm DeceptionSample

“What the World Needs now is Love, Sweet Love”  

No, no—a thousand times, No! What the world needs now is God in all His Holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).  

The “love” in the lyrics of this song is sadly what is preached in many churches around the world. It is a feel-good love, a nice feeling toward others. But that so-called love easily falls into “I’ll embrace you where you are, regardless of your sins and beliefs and you will embrace me, and we’ll all just get along.”

That quickly leads to the downward spiral of sins listed in Romans 1:18-32. God is love, but His love is a selfless choice for the highest good. It is sacrificial and transforming. God’s love is certainly enough for all of us everywhere, but God’s love is seldom talked about and less often practiced. God wants everyone to be saved, but He cannot save people who are not 100% committed to who He is.  

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” And in Matthew 16:24-27, “Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

When we embrace Jesus, we need to pursue Him with all our heart! That involves much more than feelings. When the Apostle Paul recognized the supreme value of Jesus Christ, he said (in Philippians 3:7-9), “whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

Reflection: Have we fallen in and out of love for Jesus? If so, we are pursuing a false religion; following the real Jesus demands a life-transforming choice and it may or may not bring happiness according to the world’s standards. But oh, the joy that follows choosing Jesus as Lord! 

Philippians 4:4-7, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."