I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. — Revelation 3:15
There’s something to be said for being comfortable. Whether it’s a comfortable pair of shoes, comfortable clothes, or even a cozy blanket, we often crave comfort. There is nothing wrong with that. Comfort, in its proper place, is a gift.
But comfort in the wrong place can be dangerous.
I will never forget one moment as a teenager when I was doing yard work outside. I was far more interested in the music playing in my ears than the work in front of me. I was comfortable. Relaxed. Completely at ease. What I did not know was that I had wandered right into a nest of yellow jacket bees. I did not find out until they found me, several times over.
My comfort had made me unaware of exactly what was happening around me.
That is a picture of what Jesus describes in Revelation 3. The church at Laodicea was not wicked in any dramatic sense. They were not openly hostile toward God. They had not abandoned the faith outright. They had simply become comfortable. Settled. Going through the motions without much urgency or passion. And Jesus said that was not acceptable.
In fact, He said He would rather they were cold or hot.
That is a sobering statement. We might expect God to prefer lukewarm over cold; at least lukewarm is still in the church, still showing up, still saying the right things. But Jesus makes clear that indifference is its own kind of danger. A church, or a believer, that is neither on fire nor openly struggling is one that has stopped paying attention. Comfort has replaced conviction.
The Laodiceans thought they were doing fine. They described themselves as rich and in need of nothing. But Jesus saw something different. He saw people who had let ease replace earnestness. Who had let familiarity with God substitute for actual closeness to Him.
Comfort is not the enemy. But comfort that causes us to stop growing, stop watching, and stop pressing into God absolutely is.
It is worth asking honestly, has comfort settled into your faith? Are you going through familiar motions without much hunger behind them? The warning from Revelation 3 is not meant to condemn. It is meant to wake us up before we wander too far into territory we were never meant to be in.
God is not looking for perfection. He is looking for passion. Even a small, honest fire is better than a settled, comfortable chill.
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About Another Well Ministries
Another Well Ministries exists to help people slow down, listen deeply, and encounter God in the ordinary places of life. Through devotionals, reflections, and spiritual resources, we seek to create space for faith to be formed with honesty, grace, and hope.
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