Coffee or Tea… Which Will it Be?

The fact that I’ve recently become a coffee drinker shed an interesting light on an issue for me the other day.  I love how God can use something as simple as a liquid to get your attention.

You see, I used to think I was “cool” because I had made it as long as I had in life without becoming a fan of the black elixir.  I was 41 when the addiction began, so it was just a few years ago.  I was content with something a bit weaker and not as bold… like, let’s say, tea.

Now tea is good.  As a matter of fact, I still really enjoy a tall glass of sweet tea (yes, I am originally from Texas thank you very much) from time to time.  There is nothing wrong with tea.  It tastes good.  It’s thirst-quenching.  It satisfies.  It does the job… right?

Maybe for a while…

But then you realize you need something more.  Something stronger for those early mornings and late nights.  Something to get you moving and motivated and to open your eyes wider.  You need the bolder, stronger, more energizing results from… coffee.

Silly example?  No.  This is a perfect example of our faith.

At first… when we first meet Jesus… we need the tea.  We need to start with the “sweet stuff.”  We need to learn the basics of Christianity to get the foundation of our faith laid down.  This “tea”, if you will, is easy to drink and wets our whistle.  It’s a necessary building block.

But after a while, we then find that tea no longer satisfies us like it used to (it better not).  While it still tastes good… we desire something stronger.  We thirst for more.  This is when we long to be challenged in our faith.  We want more of the bold taste of coffee rather than the sweet taste of tea.

The goal of EVERY Christ-follower is to move on to a “coffee-strength” level of faith and belief.  Yes, it’s easy to just become comfortable sipping the tea.

But hear me.  We are not called to lives of ease and comfort.  We are called – according to Mark 12:30 – to love God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  There is nothing easy about that.

I do love my tea, but I want coffee all the way.  Bring it on.  The hotter the better.  The darker the better.  The stronger the better.  I’ll even take a few of the grinds in my cup…

Listen to me… don’t get comfortable in your faith.

Pray for God to give you the desire to become a java-junkie rather than just sticking with sweet tea.  Your eyes will be wider… your hearts will be pumping faster for Him… you’ll be more awake.