The Dichotomy of The Warm & Fuzzy
We all know that feeling we get when we attend a good church sermon, or go to a great concert,
or even watch something on YouTube that fires us up. We call that the “warm and fuzzy”, and
the problem is that although that may be the feeling we have when we leave there,
it hardly ever lasts. Are we to go through life with such a temporary grasp on the
gospel? Do we think going from “warm and fuzzy” to “warm and fuzzy” from week to
week is how we advance God’s kingdom? How are we to explain ourselves when we
take such a shallow indulgence of God’s Word? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ uses
words like eternal and everlasting all throughout scripture, yet we give Him only a quick
thought and move on with our everyday lives. This is far from being obedient, and
teeters on the line of unbelief. We hear God’s Word, but lack the total trust in Him to put
it to action in our lives. Let’s talk about why this happens.
The “why” I’m talking about is unfortunately, yet proportionally, connected to the
idleness and stagnation of man. Our lack of taking the action required to apply the
principles of said “warm and fuzzy” is what is holding us back from advancing in our
walks with Christ. There’s a word for that:
Spineless (adj) - namby-pamby; gutless; wishy-washy; lukewarm; weak in willpower,
courage, or vitality; lacking backbone
I hope that word caught your attention. By my estimation, most men don’t like to be
called spineless. As a matter of fact, it’s kind of like the age-old version of calling
someone “chicken”, and that does not sit well with most men.
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
For three years the apostles watched Jesus live His life, and never once did He crack or
bend. They saw Him break bread with sinner after sinner and time and again He would
break the rules of the religion when love or compassion demanded it. He frustrated His
critics when He encountered misplaced spirituality. He was not intimidated by authority
figures and He was not swayed by public opinion or pressure from society. He simply
would not cave! His doing and His being, like His divinity and humanity, were one.
His identity in His Father was formed in His heart in such a way that the world saw a real
man. One who was free to love, help, heal, serve, teach, confront, and connect radically
with people. Take note, those are all verbs that require action.
Most important for us men, Jesus Christ modeled how to release ourselves fully to God’s
purposes in the face of personal suffering - the real test of a man’s heart.
On that dark evening, the most important thing Jesus might have ever shown us was how
to completely let go of our hearts to God. And that He did. But He also stiffened His
spine. Spine comes from undivided trust in the One who gives us the undivided heart.
There is no sadder or more pathetic man than the one with a heart but no spine. It’s one
thing to feel something (“warm and fuzzy”) and another to put it into practice.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” -James 1:22
So I will say it again, behind every good decision we make to be in God’s Word or
advance God’s kingdom, is an undivided heart coupled with the nerve of the spine to put
it into action. We must be doers of the Word men!
So, I encourage you to be a man of action. Be the man God calls you to be. It may not happen
overnight, but with practical application of God’s Word, we can only benefit from the fruits we
will see when being obedient believers. We are to be the light gentlemen, and to do so we must
be willing to take action in God’s Word. Believe me, you do not want to be caught sitting on the
sidelines with regret in your heart when Jesus comes. The time to stiffen your spine is now. The
time to act is upon us all. Let us not just be ready, but rapture ready! God Bless You All.