A very dear friend of mine got me thinking about coffee from a new perspective: Christianity. We as Christians are not unlike coffee. Some people like it, some don’t. Some people like us, some don’t. Coffee has a very distinct flavor. It’s usually noticed right away. So is Christianity. There is an aroma to coffee. There is an aroma to Christians.

But what separates good coffee from bad? The same things that separate good Christians from bad. Or should I say true Christians from those that aren’t? How about the saints from the ain’ts? There are several things that make good coffee, each one discussed in recurring devotionals.

1. It must be fresh daily.

Coffee is the best when it’s fresh! People enjoy fresh coffee! Coffee is so gross when it is old. Day old coffee is…disgusting. Now, I’m a little crazy, and will drink cold coffee. When I get Starbucks, it will take me all morning just about to finish it. And I tell you from experience that while I still drink it, the fresh stuff is way better. Also, the beans that you use are best made right after they have been ground for maximum freshness. It doesn’t get any fresher than that right there.

16 These are the Lord’s instructions: “Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” 17 So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. 18 But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed. 19 Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” 20 But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell.
Exodus 16.16-20

This is a great story about keeping it fresh. God hooked up daily. Some people didn’t listen and tried to have some for the next day. They tried to use yesterday’s food for today. And God clearly did not have that in mind. When they tried to eat yesterday’s food, it was rotten! God never intended for them to save it! He had fresh stuff for them the next day!

Our relationship with God must also be fresh daily. We can’t live on yesterday’s word. It has to be fresh, or it gets bitter, like old coffee. We have to keep ourselves in God’s Word on a regular basis if we want to stay healthy as a Christian. God is always ready to teach us, to cause us to grow, but we must be in His Word and in prayer on a regular basis, or we start to lose our flavor. Just as making coffee becomes part of the daily things of life, make time with God and His word part of your daily activities. Keep yourself in His word regularly.

Grow daily or die gradually.

The family is much more personal with me than they are with even some of their friends. I see all sides of the family: the good, the bad, and everything in between. I know who these people are because I live with them. I have access to things in the home that not everyone does. I can get into the fridge without asking. I can even store my own personal items in the fridge and pantry. I became the family roommate.

I heard Pastor Matt say in a recent altar call, “If you want to go to heaven, you have to ask Jesus to come and live in your heart.” This is very true, and that phrase got me thinking about roommates. When people ask Jesus to come into their lives, they are in essence asking Him to move in with them, not unlike a roommate.

God is always at work in us. We must allow Him to “move in” to our lives. We must give him access to even the very private things in our lives. The deepest, darkest areas that visitors don’t have access to, must be accessible by Him. We have to open ourselves to Him and let Him work His will in us. He must literally “live” with us.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3.20

How sad would it be if the day I moved into the family’s home, they said to me, “Oh, we were just kidding. You can’t live here?” and they kicked me out? How would that make me feel? Probably betrayed and abandoned. The sad part is, many people do this to Jesus. They ask Him to move in, and then kick Him out the very next day. They do this by the way that they live. They respond to a moving altar call and ask Jesus to come in and forgive them and live inside of them, but the very next day they go back to the way they used to live. When a roommate moves in, things change. But if we ask Jesus to come in and we aren’t changed…then we have only asked him to spend the night. The last time I checked, lives were changed when Jesus moved in.

“Revival is an encounter with God the Holy One, disclosed and made known. Revival removes the veil and makes things clear. Revival is stark and absolute, uncovering the nature of man and revealing the glory of God. In the end, it boils down to this: Do we really want God to live in our midst?” – Dr. Michael L Brown

We must be prepared for God to move in. I encourage you today, don’t ask Jesus to move in, and make Him live somewhere else.