Someone suggested that, while there are many different kinds of jobs, they could all be broken down into two categories: a) the kind of jobs where you shower after you finish working; and, b) the type of jobs where you shower before you go to work. Obviously, the first sort of job involves more intense physical effort — the kind where you “work up a sweat”.

This made me think about Christians and their level of activity in the kingdom of Christ. Some are very hard at work, doing all they can for the Master. They study hard, pray frequently, attend faithfully, and teach others at every opportunity. They’re the ones who step up when volunteers are needed to teach classes or to do chores around the church building. They visit the sick, reach out to the lost, and support the weak. They love the Lord, their brethren, and the lost — and they “roll up their sleeves” and do the work necessary in all of those realms. These are the ones that serve as the real “backbone” of any congregation. Without them the church would suffer, shrivel, and finally die. Such workers are truly needed and much appreciated — may their tribe increase.

Other Christians aren’t so energetic when it comes to working for the Lord. They attend services, but not too faithfully. They aren’t great Bible students and rarely spend time in prayer. They don’t try to teach the lost, and they seldom reach out to even their own brethren. These “lukewarm” Christians are certainly not “working up a sweat” in the kingdom, and need to be reminded of how the Lord views mediocre performance: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

Greg Gwin