Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee every day. We drink more coffee than soda, tea, and juice combined. It’s serious business. For many, coffee is an integral part of their daily routine. So much so that over half of all coffee consumers would rather skip a shower in the morning than skip their coffee. I must say these stats are very comforting to me. It’s nice to know I’m not the only lunatic who sometimes goes to bed already looking forward to the next morning’s black coffee.
In terms of variety, there seems to be as many ways to take your coffee as there are coffee drinkers– hot, iced, cold-brew, nitro, cappuccinos, lattes, frappes, espressos, flavors, sweeteners, different types of beans; it’s endless. Some people get their fix from local coffee shops, and others brew their own at home. Personally, I make most of my coffee at home. With a coffee maker right in my office, it’s both convenient and budget-friendly. I also think the coffee tastes better from a mug than in a paper to-go cup.
The only problem is the temperature. As good as the coffee is when brewed hot and fresh, it goes downhill in a hurry as it sits in the mug and cools off. To combat this, I’ve worked out a system where I brew the coffee into a special covered thermos that keeps it molten hot. I can then pour it into my mug in small increments and enjoy it at my preferred temperature.
There’s iced coffee on the other end of the spectrum, which is also delicious, especially when the weather is sunny and hot. Here in New England, many welcome the change in season from Winter to Spring with a change in coffee from hot to iced.
In summary: it’s great when it’s hot, it’s great when it’s iced, but it’s lousy when it’s lukewarm.
Do you realize that our faith in the living God is also lousy when it’s lukewarm? I call this a Room Temperature Faith. Someone with a Room Temperature Faith is not “on fire” for God, nor are they a diehard atheist. Instead, they’re undecided, uncommitted, and generally indifferent. Rather than follow the facts to their only logical conclusion, these people choose to draw no conclusion at all. They remain on the fence, which is a treacherous place to be.
Pastor Todd White tells a true story about an atheist who has a dream. The man dreams he’s in a vast field, and there’s a fence that goes right up the middle. On one side is Jesus with a group of people, and on the other side, there’s the devil with another group of people. The guy stands up on the fence, and all of a sudden, he’s by himself. The devil comes back into the picture and says, “There you are; I was looking for you.” And the man says, “Hey, I didn’t choose Jesus, but I sure didn’t choose you.” The devil says, “Sure, you did. I own the fence.” The man woke up a Christian.
What I’m telling you is, “I’m not sure” means you’re rejecting Jesus as God. Paradoxically, when you avoid deciding, you are actually choosing to be an unbeliever. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In other words, there is no middle ground.
Thank you for the post, James.
How true. Doesn’t the Bible state, in Revelations 3, something like: “I would that you were hot or cold. But because you are lukewarm,and neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Wow! In short, doesn’t that indicate that God would rather have us openly worshiping the devil than pretending to worship Him.
What a challenge for all of us.