Fresh Bread for Today
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3
Lukewarm
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. Revelation 3:15--17 (NIV)
When you ask the Lord about being lukewarm, the answer may surprise you. Another word for lukewarm is comfortable. You have in all likelihood spent a great deal of your life working to be comfortable. Once you obtain that comfort you don’t want to leave it whether it’s your warm bed in the morning or your recliner in the evening. Whatever it is, whether you are riding in the car or taking your daily walk, you are comfort conscious.
Wherever or whatever, comfort is involved in some way. As long as you are comfortable, things are good. As long as I am comfortable, there will not be much effort or desire to change. Once there is discomfort then I become fully engaged in trying to restore that comfort. As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. Proverbs 26:11 (NIV)
Spiritual discomfort comes when our Heavenly Father wants to work or bring change or transformation into our lives. When we become comfortable spiritually, we are in danger of being lukewarm. Jesus’ message is, “I have come to seek and to save that which is lost. I have come to make you uncomfortable.” If you are not uncomfortable you will not change. Everyone, including me, wants to be comfortable. I do not like change. I work to be comfortable.
I love you, Lord. I thank You for speaking to me and putting me in an uncomfortable position so I can hear Your voice. I need to understand that in all I am going through You are working all of it for my good and my benefit. It may not be and most likely isn’t a feel-good position. It most often will be uncomfortable. Our Heavenly Father had to take the children of Israel out of Egypt where even in adverse conditions they had become comfortable. They came out of Egypt into discomfort for a season.
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About the Book
The purpose in this writing is to encourage and strengthen you as you read and hear from the Lord through the Holy Spirit the fresh bread that you receive on a daily basis. As you read, you will be encouraged and strengthened in your personal reading of God’s Word. It is a testimony on a daily basis of the faithfulness of your God. He is faithful beyond words! You can trust him. As you read these brief writings or slices, Father God will reveal himself in a fresh way and bring life to you in your moment of seeking because he has promised that you will find him when you seek him!
About the Author
I have had a personal relationship with my Heavenly Father (God) for 71 years. This relationship started when I was eight years old. My relationship has become more personal and more real each year. I have read the Bible through 25 times in the last 19 years.
In addition to personal study and Bible reading, I have memorized the Word and continue to memorize the Word because the Word is life to me. I have attended Wheaton College and Moody Bible Institute where I studied the Bible. I have taught adult Sunday School for more than five years and led weekly men’s Bible studies for more than 20 years. I have done lay preaching for many years.
My Bible tells me I am a friend of God. As a friend of God I have been led to write the devotions that are shared in this book to share with other friends of God and any other person that might desire to have a more personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. What qualifies me more than anything else is that I believe I have been called of God to write this book.
I honorably served in the US army. With the help of the GI Bill I was able to go to school. I received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I worked for 30 years for Weyerhaeuser Company and was promoted to Director of the Wood Products Maintenance in that company. I am now retired from Weyerhaeuser. I am happy and blessed to be married to my wife Susan for 56+ years. We have three married sons and nine grandchildren. I have traveled nearly around the world.
We currently live on a small five-acre farm bordering the state of Washington’s Lake Terrell Wildlife Refuge. I grow Christmas trees, garden, grow flowers and feed a lot of birds. I love to fish and to share the Word of God.