sharp focus JASON SHARP
Living passionately with purpose If you pull a lollipop out of your mouth, you’ll see it. Wake up after a solid night’s sleep, and you may feel it on your pillow. Yes, I’m talking about spit, also known as saliva. Saliva is that clear liquid that’s made in your mouth 24 hours a day, every day. It’s made up mostly of water, with a few other chemicals produced by the salivary gland. Spit serves a purpose and is super for lots of reasons. For instance, saliva wets our food and makes it easier for us to swallow. Without saliva, a turkey sandwich would be dry and difficult to gulp down. It also helps the tongue by allowing you to taste. A dry tongue can’t
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REFRESHED | April 2014
tell how things taste; it needs saliva to keep it wet. My mom told me never to do it, at least in public places. She must have known that in most communities in the United States, spitting in public is considered a minor crime, which could lead to a disorderly conduct offense or a $500 fine. God takes it seriously, too. I was raised in a Christian home. My parents took my two older siblings and me to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night and every single night of revival. My parents even took us to evening church on Super Bowl Sunday. The Sharp’s were fully committed. I attended a Christian grade school, high school and college. I was active in my youth group and enjoyed church camp every summer. I was called to the ministry at the age of 13, and God would later reveal to me the ministry He called me to was the ministry of Christian radio, where I have worked my entire adult life. Despite “growing up Christian,” I fell into a lukewarm lifestyle and was neither “hot” nor “cold,” which means, sadly enough, that I have made Jesus sick. I should have understood that being tepid with my faith was/is an unacceptable way to live. In Revelation 3, Jesus warns us against the lukewarm effects of trusting in the things of this world rather than pursuing a dynamic relationship with Him. The city of Laodicea was famous for its wealth, but the Christians of the city were spiritually wretched, miserable and poor. We must not make the same mistake of giving up on our spiritual fervor only to become occupied by the things of this world. “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” (Revelation 3:15-16). One way to think about these verses is to see both “cold” and “hot” as positive terms. Cold water refreshes, hot water heals, but lukewarm water has no positive benefits. While most like it hot, to my dismay, some people like their coffee cold. However, I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys it lukewarm. In a similar way, Jesus would rather that you and I be cold or hot in our deeds, not apathetic. The church at Laodicea was useless to the Lord because they provided neither refreshment nor healing, only nausea that made Jesus sick, so He “spit” them out of His mouth. There is nothing mediocre, muted, halfhearted, so-so, indifferent, subdued or lukewarm about Jesus. How about you? In his book “The Ragamuffin Gospel,” Brennan Manning writes, “Anyone we come in contact with, we either offer them life, or we drain them.” You and I must ask ourselves: Do I provide spiritual refreshment to those around me, both believers and unbelievers, or do I exhaust them and encourage them to give up? Am I known for bringing others encouragement or discouragement? What am I indifferent about today that I once had spiritual fervor for? The Lord wants us either hot or cold. I encourage you to live passionately for Him, share His truth and make a difference with your life. Jason Sharp is station manager of 98.5 KTIS in the Twin Cities.