Luke 24:32 (HCSB)
32 So they said to each other, "Weren't our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?"
Our spiritual temperature is best observed by our passion and commitment to the things of God. Therefore, we will recall three types of temperatures that are described in the Bible: coldness, lukewarm, and burning hot (Rev. 13:15-16). The Word teaches that God desires that we are hot or cold rather than lukewarm. A person who is cold at least knows their condition; whereas a person who is lukewarm thinks more of themselves than they ought to (Rom. 12:3). A lukewarm disposition with God equates as being the same as vomit. Let's look further at our opening verse regarding the subject of "Hearts Ablaze.". Our story of the two men on the road to Emmaus has us following these men who were greatly distraught over the death of Jesus Christ; for these two, had hoped that this was Jesus the coming Messiah who would come back and establish His Earthly kingdom. But all hope had been seemingly lost when the Religious Jews and Roman soldiers crucified Him on a cross.
In their eyes this Jesus had let them down; in fact He had disappointed them to such an emotional degree that they couldn't get out of town quick enough. They wanted to put as much distance between them and that cruel and bloody cross as possible. However with this said, it brings into question something of great importance for all of us who claim to be a Christian: every step away from the cross is a step in the wrong direction. In other words, if you have at some point failed, and now hurting over it or find yourself emotionally distraught; this is not the time to walk away from the cross...it's the time to run towards it! Why? It is because the cross reveals to us our true spiritual bankruptcy and colossal need for the Lord to be in our life. When we walk away from it, we end up operating from a self-preservationist mindset that chooses to deal with life without the help of God for the most part.
Few recognize this tactic of our adversary [Satan] which is to keep us away from the cross. Why? It is because the cross is the place while still living; where we enter death to this "world," to live unto Jesus Christ. Dying to self is a hard thing to do for most people. This is exactly why Christianity has produced so many variations of how people choose to believe in the gospel. Some move toward it from a legalistic point of view, for others it's an easy believe-ism approach, and unfortunately, there are some who believe that "all" roads lead to God. The legalistic person majors on every thing that is wrong which creates a judgmental and a self-righteous spirit that ignores what was accomplished at the cross to liberate mankind; whereas, the easy believe-ism person majors on all the freedoms they have in Christ while ignoring the importance of refraining from things Christ commanded us to release from our lives by no longer being associated to them.
Our adversary always uses our sinful tendencies or even our actual sin in a hateful way to drive us far away from the cross. He uses guilt and shame as two polarizing emotions to galvanize our thoughts in a defeatist mentality that runs away from the cross feeling hopeless. However, the cross is the place that exposes our inability to be able to boast in anything except Jesus Christ and what He has done. When a believer loses sight of that humbling place at the cross they easily become arrogant and self-righteous believing themselves to be bold Christians. While I will agree that the resurrection power is definitely what each believer should walk in with bold and holy confidence...but if that same believer underestimates the magnitude of the finished work of Christ and what He accomplished on that cross in light of their contribution to corruption and immorality; then they will have forgotten what manner of deliverance took place on their behalf and what was wonderfully afforded to them that they might have entrance into His glorious kingdom.
Luke 7:47 (MSG)
47 Impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven for many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal."
I have learned through these many years to keep in my focus while developing in spiritual growth and spiritual maturity, to never lose sight of the humbling cross where my Lord died for me. Some say it is unhealthy to remember the place and time where you faced the reality of how undone you were as a sinner being that He has now taken it out of the way. I have heard others call that as being sin conscious. Yet, it is not the sin I remember there at all, it is rather the enormous love that lifted my eyes off of the repudiation that I was so intent to look upon and be enslaved to; and placed them on the One who has illuminated the value of His divine nature in me that I never knew could exist. The cross always reminds me of the bountiful love of God for me; and because that love has forgiven me so much wrong in my life...my heart remains ablaze with passion for my Lord Jesus Christ to which nothing can ever put it out!
