Bad Cup of Coffee

We have so many choices for coffee in today's society. We no longer have just one or two choices to make. With a Starbuck's on every corner, or Java Haute, or even Coffee Grounds, you can enter one of these establishments and the choices for coffee are endless. There are multitudes of flavors to choose from and even sizes to decide upon. People will disagree with what flavor is the best, but most people will agree on what makes a bad cup of coffee. It can be weak, bitter, stale or cold by something we put in it and we would probably all agree that it would taste bad. Face it, no one likes to drink a bad cup of coffee.

Like coffee, there are people that don't like bad tasting Christians that they come across. Like a bad cup of coffee, a bad tasting Christian can leave an awful taste in someone's mouth. I wonder what cup of coffee each of us would consider ourselves to be:

1) Weak
When we are weak Christians we don't have much faith. When we are weak, we sometimes don't know God's word well enough to know what we stand on. The way to remedy our weakness is to add some "grounds". Dig into God's word and get grounded on the principles found in the Bible. Study the character of God and know what Christian living is all about. Know what doctrine you believe and examine what God has done to bring you close to him.

2) Bitter
I've known my share of bitter Christians and I have known some bitterness in my life, but if bitterness isn't dealt with, it starts growing and eating up your life. Bitterness doesn't leave a pleasant aroma. You can't do much with a bitter cup of coffee. No matter how much sugar, cream or flavoring you add, sometimes you have to dump it out and start over with a new cup. Dump out any bitterness you may currently be carrying and start over with a fresh view.

3) Stale
The dictionary defines stale as "tasteless from age". Are you complacent about your Christianity? Have you lost your first love? It's easy to do, especially those who have known the Lord for a long time. We get weary in well doing. I know we don't want to be Christians who just sit and don't do anything, but sometimes we do. There is a chorus that says, "Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me...melt me, mold me, use me, fill me" That's what we all need....we don't want to be Christians who just sit on the sidelines and get stale.

4) Cold
You may be ready to put a cup of coffee to your lips and expect it to be nice and hot, but instead, when you take a drink it is cold. We get that way in our desire to serve Christ....cold. There are reasons we become cold....we stop reading the word, our prayer life starts to struggle and then we stop going to church, and then we turn cold. What do we do with that cold cup of coffee. We add a source of heat. We make it hot again. That's what we need to do as Christians....go to the source. We need to get on our knees and renew that Spirit that once lived in us. James says, "Draw close to God and He will draw near to you".

I hope I don't prove to be a bad cup of coffee. In 1 Peter 1:16, we are challenged to "Be holy, as I am holy". The way to do this is to continually be in the presence of God. In order to avoid being weak, bitter, stale or cold, we must be in the presence of the Lord. Spending time with the Lord thru prayer, Bible reading and study, will help us be a strong cup of coffee. It will allow the Holy Spirit to stir us. He'll blend us to perfection if we just spend time with Him.

So, what type of coffee are you?