Mark 14:53-54

Mark 14:53-54  They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together.  Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

Revelation 3:15-16  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.  

Sometimes we Christians try to follow Jesus from a distance.  We are not sure that we want to gather together as often as the pastor desires.  We are not sure we want to give much of our money to the Lord's work.  We are not sure we want to participate in the ministry of the church.  We are not sure we want to give a strong testimony for Jesus in the community.  We are not sure we should commit a lot of time to God in prayer and meditation.  We are not sure we should give more hours to God than to our own entertainment.  WE ARE JUST NOT SURE!  Well, I am not sure that we can follow Jesus from afar.  I am sure that when difficulties arise, we will probably press into serving Jesus for a season.  I see that a lot.  But I am not sure when the doubts arise and when things just don't go the way we expect that we won't run away and say, "I never knew this man Jesus."  In those difficult or trying times, life as we want it seems much more attractive than dying with Jesus.  When the healing doesn't come, when the answer isn't there, when the struggles of life seem endless, then what are we going to do with Christ?  

Jesus says, "Will you lose your life for me regardless of the circumstances?  Will you follow me closely when you see danger at the door?  Will you be mine, and not the world's?"  Remember, Jesus said whoever will lose his or her life for my sake will gain it and whoever will gain his or her own life will lose it.  Are we in danger of losing our lives, of losing the effectiveness of our lives?  Are we in danger of becoming saltless, lightless?  Jesus warned us of that.  In Revelation Jesus says I would rather have you cold than just lukewarm.  I would rather have you on the distant mountaintops than in my household not participating, not being salt, not being light.  I would rather have you play in the household of the world than come to me with a halfhearted desire to serve me.  

What a difficult word this is.  Sometimes we would rather choose to be good, to be nice, to be mostly compliant, but Jesus says, I want your life to be hot, a burning flame for me.  I want you to be zealous for my kingdom.  I want you to be an active participant, not just a follower at a distance.  When Peter walked into that courtyard, the chips were down; the doubts were flying around in his mind.  The hand of faith was to be played, and he played it for his own life.   When we struggle in our faith, when things just don't work out in this life, are we playing the hand of life for ourselves?  Play the hand of FIRE.  Burn brightly for Jesus.  Let the church know they can depend on you.  Let the community know you are a Christian.  Let God know, through your prayers and meditation, you are dedicated to him--your life is his.  Praise his name in the day, praise his name at night.  Praise him when you are weary or fearful; praise him when you are bold and full of faith.  Praise his name forever, for He is yours and you are his.  He paid the price for you, and the price He paid was enough!