Are YOU a Thermometer OR a Thermostat?
Good Monday Morning!!
Today, as we get ready to face the week ahead, I have a simple question for us to consider. As I was helping a friend prepare for a sermon this past week I shared with him a question we have asked in our family for a long time. This question came into my mind because of our study of Romans 12:2, "Do not Conform to the pattern of this world, but be Transformed by the renewing of your mind!" I know many of us have read or heard this verse many times, but today, as we consider this verse again, I wonder if we would contemplate this question about ourselves: "Am I a Thermometer, OR a Thermostat?"
When I sit back and think about the involvement of God in this world my mind is blown away by how amazingly and drastically He changes things! He created a New way of doing things, a new way of thinking, and a New way of Living! When Jesus came on the scene He was a Radical force! He didn't just flip over tables, He flipped over the current way of thinking! He was doing a New thing, and as He introduced His Kingdom on this Earth, He continually explained the New culture of that Kingdom. He would talk about how life is beautifully altered under His Rule and Reign. Jesus was changing hearts, minds, and souls! Wherever He went, the villages, towns, and people began to transform. Eyes were opened, ears began to hear, hearts were renewed, and lives were restored. The world itself would never be the same! When Jesus finally left this world He commissioned His followers to continue His work. He said to GO into ALL the world and make disciples, and He declared that HE would be with us in that endeavor until the end of the age!! The followers of Christ took that seriously and they did, in fact, continue where He left off. They took the saving gospel of Jesus Christ into every town, city, and country they traveled to, and they did that with the POWER of Jesus Christ IN them!! Wherever they went change began to happen! Lives were transformed, as the Freedom and Power of Jesus took hold and began to change the climate right where they were! They had been Transformed themselves and were now Agents of that same Transformation!
I want us, for a moment, to consider what a Thermometer does in its basic form. A thermometer gauges the current temperature and conforms itself to match that temperature! You can look at a thermometer and tell what the current temperature is because the thermometer will match the temperature. Now, let's consider what I LOVE about a Thermostat. A Thermostat CHANGES the temperature!! Now, I will say right away that the Thermostat has the power to change the temperature, not on its own, but because it is connected to the power source!! What I love about the thermostat is that it too can gauge the current temperature, but its main ability is to CHANGE that temperature. Knowing that, we have often asked ourselves in our family "Today, am I going to be a Thermometer OR a Thermostat?" "Am I going to simply Conform to, and Reveal the current climate of the world, or am I going to Change the climate?"
Connected to Jesus Christ, we have the power In us to change the climate of the world around us! We are NOT called to CONFORM to this world like a thermometer, we are call to be an agent of TRANSFORMATION! We are called to be a Thermostat!! We can change the climate at our work, schools, homes, and relationships through the Power of Jesus Christ! Just like Jesus and His disciples, we too can start to see the climate around us shift as people, rather than lash out in anger, begin to respond in Love. Instead of Harboring Hatred, they begin to Fully Forgive. Instead of buying into the current thought of religion, they accept the truth of the Gospel! Can we be an agent of that change by walking into a place and speaking the truth with love and boldness, can we serve the lowly with kindness, can we care for others rather than just looking out for ourselves? I want to encourage you that we are not called to just be a thermometer who gauges the temperature of this world and declares that the world is Horrible. How often do you hear people say that? To me, that is what I call "thermometer talk!" I want to hear some "thermostat talk" in our conversations. How is God calling YOU to CHANGE the world around you through His Mighty power??
We can be those who CHANGE the climate around us through the power of the One we're connected to! I want to challenge and encourage us today to ask ourselves, "This week, wherever I am, will I be a Thermometer, or a Thermostat?"
"You are the Light of the World! Like a city set on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, and it Gives Light to EVERYONE in the house!" -Matt. 5:14-15
Here are just a few scripture to really meditate on this week:
Romans 12:2, Matthew 5:14-16, John 15:1-8