“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot or cold—I am
about to spit you out of my mouth.”
– Revelation 3:16

How many of you grew up with Wheaties, the cereal advertised as the “Breakfast of Champions?” When an athlete’s picture landed on the front of the Wheaties box, you knew he or she had arrived. You may not know, but Wheaties has fallen on hard times lately. There are always reasons why products lose favor in a fickle market, but industry insiders say the reason is simple. Wheaties is living in “no man’s land.” Here is what the experts are saying: Wheaties isn’t healthy enough for the Fiber One crowd, and isn’t bad enough for the Frosted Flake crowd. That’s “no man’s land” in the world of breakfast cereal. By not positioning itself firmly in any camp—not quite the health food, not quite the fun food—it reaches no one. It’s not just cereal that falls into this category. This can easily happen to people and especially people of faith.

There is a popular mantra in our sports culture today that encourages us to be “all in”. Coaches, athletes, donors and fans are challenged to give everything they have to the success of the program. This concept is nothing new. We get a great example in Revelation as we see the church at Laodicea being ripped for their casual indifference regarding their faith. They are described as “lukewarm”. There was enough there to deceive people into thinking that it was a church of God, but when the outward appearance was peeled away, a church filled with pride, ignorance, self-sufficiency and complacency was exposed. Before we start coming down too hard on those filling the pews at Laodicea, how about us? Are we any better? We wear a cross around our neck, we slip on the wrist bands and put the church magnet on our car, but who are we when we go below the surface of those outward appearances? How often are we “lukewarm” and how often do we find ourselves standing in “no man’s land”? God is very clear in His contempt for that position of faith. Lukewarm coaches or athletes will never find their picture on the front of a box of Wheaties nor in God’s favor. Remember, we serve the God of Champions” and He expects us to be “all in” and to give Him our best in all we do.

Heavenly Father, I want to be “all in” for You. Teach me to go beyond the appearances of faith and to seek You with everything I have. Amen.