Temp Setter?

Do you know the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat?

Think about it- they're different, but how?

Before you get lost- think on this: What is the purpose of a thermometer? The dictionary defines it as: "an instrument for determining temperature". What is the purpose of a thermostat? The dictionary defines it as: "a device for controlling temperature".

How does this relate to our spiritual lives?

Well... as you might have guessed, I think this idea has some great insight that can relate to not only our physical temperature, but our spiritual temperature as well.

In the Bible, Jesus talks about being salt and light, and he also uses the analogy of being like a "city on a hill" (Matthew 5). If you're like me- I get this, but only to a certain extent considering that we don't have fortified cities on hills anymore, and salt isn't used for the same purposes like it was in Jesus' day. Don't get me wrong- Jesus had major word-analogy skills; if not the best ever! He was always using every-day, simple, understandable things to explain Heavenly principles. Like in Matthew 5 (salt, light, city, the whole gammit) he was talking about influence- and how believers should impact the world around them in a very strong way through: their words, actions, and lifestyle.

Well, in the same way, I think it makes sense that as Christians- called to change the world for Christ, we should learn to be thermostats and not thermometers! It's super easy to "go with the flow", but its much harder to go against it! If we are constantly just changing our temperature to match our surroundings- how much influence can we be having? From what I can see, it seems totally Biblical for us to not gauge the temperature around us, but instead learn to set the temperature! If we're temperature setters then immediately things have to change, right? I mean think about it- what if we were the ones that began to change things around us, rather than being changed by the things around us? Did you catch that? There's a huge difference!

"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words." 1 Cor. 2:12-13

What if our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our states, our countries began to have a spiritual temperature set by followers of Christ? Do you know how radically things would have to change if that were the case?

Instead of having strip clubs on every corner, and bars at every stop light, we'd begin to have revival meetings everywhere- churches would be popping up all over the place, because there wouldn't be enough room to fit all the new converts. Really try to picture it- it would be the craziest revival of all time! Instead of shrinking back in fear, people would be spreading the name of Jesus everywhere they went. Demons would be cast out, the sick would be healed, spiritual gifts would abound- people would be on fire, transforming the atmosphere of our world with the message of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Rom. 12:2

Looking at your life TODAY, can you honestly say you're living as a temperature setter in the Spirit, or are you being influenced by the constantly changing seasons of this world?