Tuesday, September 3 I wish you were cold or else hot.​—Rev. 3:15.

[Áine]

Tuesday, September 3

I wish you were cold or else hot.—Rev. 3:15.

 

We cannot rely merely on what we have done in the past in Jehovah’s service. Though we may have more limitations than before, we need to keep busy in “the work of the Lord,” remaining awake and alert right to the end. (1 Cor. 15:58;Matt. 24:13; Mark 13:33) We must be zealous and wholehearted in our worship. Jesus’ message to those in Laodicea highlighted yet a different problem. They were “lukewarm” in their worship. Because of their apathy, Jesus told them that they were in a “miserable and pitiful” state. They needed to display fiery zeal for Jehovah and his worship. (Rev. 3:16, 17, 19) What is the lesson for us? If we have lost a measure of our zeal, we must stir up our appreciation for the spiritual riches we have. (Rev. 3:18) Never would we want to allow the pursuit of a comfortable lifestyle to distract us, causing us to relegate spiritual activities to second place. w22.05 3-4 ¶7-8

[Cool.As.Ice]

This is a problem I constantly struggle with. It is very easy to let the cares and concerns of everyday life overwhelm us and we start drifting away.

I recently had to quit a job that made me work 45-60 hrs a week and constantly interfered with my spiritual activities. After I quit that place and went back to my old job, it was like a HUGE weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I don’t intend to make that kind of mistake again, especially since the end is so close.

[Mike047]

How important to check our temperature!

 

The bible reminds us that "Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as for Jehovah, and not for men" (Col 3:23), so if we should put our whole self into just mundane matters to prove ourselves trustworthy at work, at school, or elsewhere, how much more important to " work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith." (Gal 6:10) and, by extension, be willing to stretch ourselves in going out to "make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit,20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matt 28:19,20)

[dljbsp]

Imagine you have a glass of water. If the water is hot, you can use it to make tea or coffee. If it’s cold, it can refresh you on a hot day. But if the water is lukewarm—not hot and not cold—it’s not very useful. You might not even want to drink it.

 

In a similar way, Jesus was telling the Christians in Laodicea that their worship was like lukewarm water. They were not putting much effort into it. They weren’t excited about serving Jehovah, and they weren’t completely turned away either. They were just going through the motions, doing the bare minimum.

 

Jesus wanted them to realize that this attitude was dangerous. He said they were in a “miserable and pitiful” state because they were spiritually sick and didn’t even realize it. He wanted them to wake up and put more effort into their worship, to be zealous, like a fire burning with enthusiasm.

 

The lesson for us is clear: we need to be fully committed in our worship of Jehovah. We shouldn’t just do the minimum or be half-hearted. Instead, we should be like that hot or cold water—useful and refreshing—by putting our whole heart into our relationship with Jehovah and the work He has given us. This way, our worship is meaningful and shows our deep love for God.