How Serious Are We? A Call to Wholehearted Devotion — Living Beyond Lukewarm Faith

Many today profess faith—but what does real, wholehearted commitment to יהוה truly look like? This reflection is both personal and Scriptural—a call to examine whether we are truly living for Him. I want to be careful not to sound presumptuous or make sweeping generalisations, but it seems that many people say they believe in God, the Christian God that is, while few actually live as though that belief shapes their everyday lives. This brings to mind the words of our Master in Matthew 22:14: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Perhaps few are chosen because the many, though called, remain unprepared—having professed belief, yet failing to embody it through surrendered lives.

I say this from personal experience. I used to call myself a believer, but my life didn’t reflect that claim. My faith, ultimately, was an afterthought. Deep down, I knew that saying “I love God” or believing in Him—while continuing to live on my own terms—wasn’t enough. But I lulled myself into a kind of spiritual delusion, one that left me passive and unchallenged. I clung to the idea that believing was somehow better than nothing, as if mere acknowledgment of the truth could substitute for obedience to it. It was a complacent, half-lit place, one where conviction existed but was constantly deferred. And it’s precisely the kind of place, I now believe, the adversary is content to keep many: not in open rebellion, but in quiet inaction; not denying God, but neutralised by comfort and compromise. It is a calculated snare—subtle, numbing, and deeply effective.

Looking back, I realise I was what Scripture might call lukewarm. I had one foot in the world—maybe even both—while occasionally thinking about יהוה. I was living a double life, practically neglecting the spiritual altogether. My faith became more like a side hobby, something I’d pick up now and then, but never truly nurture. And because I wasn’t engaging with it consistently, it slipped easily through my fingers—until months later, when I’d pick it up again for another short-lived attempt.

I was a lukewarm Christian, and we all know the sentiment towards the lukewarm believer. Messiah Himself warns about this condition in Revelation 3:15–16:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.”

Is this where you find yourself today?

The lukewarm life is a lie, lukewarm faith is not harmless—it’s deadly. This is serious. Messiah doesn’t say He’s disappointed—He says He will vomit us out. Have you ever vomited? It’s not pretty, nor is it a pleasant experience! That word should shake us. This is how Messiah describes His reaction to half-hearted faith. He wants full surrender, not half-hearted religion. Historic Bible commentators like Barnes, Gill, and Poole expand on this passage with strong warnings about lukewarmness:

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says the following:

“The image is intensely strong, and denotes deep disgust and loathing at the indifference which prevailed in the church at Laodicea. The idea is, that they would be utterly rejected and cast off as a church - a threatening of which there has been an abundant fulfillment in subsequent times. It may be remarked, also, that what was threatened to that church may be expected to occur to all churches, if they are in the same condition; and that all professing Christians, and Christian churches, that are lukewarm, have special reason to dread the indignation of the Saviour.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says the following:

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,.... A lukewarm professor is one that serves God and mammon; that halts between two opinions, and knows not what religion is best, and cares little for any, yet keeps in a round of duty, though indifferent to it, and contents himself with it; and is un concerned about the life and power of godliness, and takes up with the external form of it; and has no thought about the glory of God, the interest of Christ and truth; and this was too much the case of this church, at least of a great number of its members; wherefore it was very loathsome to Christ, hence he threatens:

I will spew thee out of my mouth; this shows how nauseous lukewarmness is to Christ, insomuch that on account of it he would not own and acknowledge her as his; but even cast her out, unchurch her, and have no more any such imperfect church state upon earth, as he afterwards never will, this is the last; nor is there any church state, or any remains of one in Laodicea; it is indeed quite uninhabited.”

Matthew Poole’s Commentary says the following:

“Neither cold nor hot; partly good, partly bad, having something of profession, nothing of the life and power of religion; … a Christian, … yet neglecting thy duty both as a minister, and as a Christian, living in a sensual satisfaction of thy lusts.” (Edits mine)

Lukewarmness isn’t a neutral space between cold and hot—it’s a dangerous place of self-deception, not something to overlook or excuse. It’s a serious spiritual danger that should stir us to examine our hearts and return wholeheartedly to יהוה before it’s too late.

So what does real commitment look like?

Picture a professional athlete. Their life is built around their sport—they train relentlessly, follow strict diets, and give up comfort to reach their goal. Now imagine someone claiming to be an athlete but never training, always eating junk food, and skipping practice. No one would take them seriously. We wouldn’t call someone an athlete if they never trained, ate poorly, and skipped every game.

Yet many of us claim to be Christians—followers of Messiah—without discipline, sacrifice, or real engagement. Why should the standard be lower for our walk with Him—the highest calling of all? Following Messiah is not a casual choice; it’s the greatest calling and the most demanding commitment. It means setting aside our own will, pleasures, and goals to pursue His. It means dying daily to ourselves.

As Messiah said in Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake daily, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake shall save it.” We, too, are in training—not for a perishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:25), but for an eternal reward. Like the athlete, we are called to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1), discipline our bodies (1 Corinthians 9:27), and deny ourselves daily (Luke 9:23).

Our walk with יהוה requires us to sacrifice comforts, resist worldly distractions, and remain focused on the eternal kingdom. The athlete does all this for a fading medal or brief glory. We do it for life with יהוה, to honour the covenant we’ve entered, to be made into the image of His Son, and to live set-apart for His purposes.

Just as the athlete won’t win without total dedication, neither will the believer bear fruit without full commitment. Faith isn’t a hobby — it’s a life pursuit. It takes intentionality, endurance, and wholehearted devotion.

We all want to finish this race well. We long to hear the words of our Master: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21). And after a life of surrender and steadfastness, to receive the reward that far surpasses anything this world can offer — eternal life with Him.

It seems that many today hold onto the comforting idea that “God loves me” or “I am under grace” as a way to justify living however they please—without reverence, repentance, or real transformation. But when we begin to engage sincerely with Scripture, that illusion begins to crumble. We’re confronted with a deeper truth: our words, and even our profession of faith, mean little if our lives don’t reflect them, if there’s no fruit to back the claim. 

Even Jordan Peterson has frequently expressed the idea that "you don't 'believe' something unless you act it out. Belief is not what you say—it’s what you do." This reflects his consistent argument that belief is embodied in behaviour, not merely in verbal or intellectual assent. For Peterson, our actions—not our words—reveal our deepest convictions.

Here are some Scriptural verses that speak to this:

Isaiah 29:13 — “And יהוה says, “Because this people has drawn near with its mouth, and with its lips they have esteemed Me, and it has kept its heart far from Me, and their fear of Me has become a command of men that is taught!””

Matthew 7:21 — “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.”

James 2:26 — “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also the belief is dead without the works.”

1 John 2:4 — “The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

1 John 3:18 — “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

These verses change everything. They reveal that love for and faith in יהוה isn’t just a feeling or a statement—it’s demonstrated through obedience, devotion, and self-denial. If we say we love Him but live unchanged, not guarding His commands, we deceive ourselves. True love for יהוה bears fruit; it moves us to obey, to yield, and to lay down anything that stands between us and Him. After all, “So then, by their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).

Therefore, grace isn’t something we use to excuse sin, it shouldn’t be used as a cover for compromise, this would be a misuse of grace. Instead, it’s something we receive, and then respond to with awe, gratitude, and a life that reflects His holiness. Sha'ul (Paul) speaks to this in Galatians 5:13, which says, “For you, brothers, have been called to freedom, only do not use freedom as an occasion for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Sha'ul is reminding believers that the freedom we have in Messiah isn’t a license to sin, but a call to serve and walk in the Spirit.

And that should prompt a sobering question in all of us: Am I walking in grace as Scripture defines it—or have I made grace an excuse for compromise?

So what is covenant faithfulness and what does יהוה require of us?

Our relationship with יהוה is often portrayed in Scripture through the lens of marriage—a covenant (an agreement, a pact, a contract) built on love, trust, and unwavering commitment. Just as a marriage vow binds two people together in faithfulness, so too does our covenant with יהוה through Messiah bind us to Him. Once we make that vow, we are no longer free to live as if we belong to ourselves, just as a married man cannot behave as though he is single.

Vows are not symbolic gestures. They are sacred promises that demand real, ongoing action. For a relationship to thrive, it must be nourished by obedience, loyalty, and love. When we entered into covenant with יהוה through the blood of Messiah, we pledged ourselves to Him. That means honouring our word by walking according to His ways and commands.

This is essentially what Sha'ul reminds us of in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20:

“Do you not know that your body is the Dwelling Place of the Set-apart Spirit who is in you, which you have from Aluhym, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore, esteem Aluhym in your body and in your spirit, which are of Aluhym.”

This verse cuts to the heart of covenant living—we are not our own. We have been purchased with a price, and our lives now belong to the One who redeemed us. To ignore our covenant responsibilities is to treat the immeasurable gift of salvation as though it came without cost. The New Covenant is still a covenant—and covenants require action, faithfulness, and a response from both parties.

Scripture is clear: יהוה is not looking for half-hearted loyalty or superficial gestures. He desires our whole selves—our hearts, our attention, and our devotion. He is not indifferent to lukewarmness; He desires a people who are fully His.

Deuteronomy 6:4–5, the heart of the Shema, expresses this call with clarity and power:

“Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Aluhym, יהוה is one! And you shall love יהוה your Aluhym with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.”

This is an invitation to real relationship. יהוה is calling us into something vibrant and life-giving—wholehearted, active love. Not passive belief, but whole-person engagement.

The call of יהוה requires something of us. It is a call to move—to act, to respond, to leave behind complacency and step into a life that challenges the comforts we’ve grown accustomed to. It’s not about staying static or stationary. When יהוה called Abram, He didn’t invite him to a quiet, settled life; He commanded him to leave what was familiar and take real, decisive action.

Genesis 12:1 - “And יהוה said to Aḇram, “Go yourself out of your land, from your relatives and from your father’s house, to a land which I show you.”

Abram’s call required him to uproot his life. It meant stepping away from everything that felt stable and secure. He had to choose movement over maintenance, action over comfort. Likewise, our calling demands more than passive belief—it calls for active response. And that response will often take us into places that stretch, unsettle, and challenge our natural desire for ease.

Messiah made this reality clear when He said the following in Matthew 7:13–14:

“Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide – and the way is broad – that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it. Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The way of life is not the easy way. It’s not the convenient path. It requires effort, discipline, and the willingness to let go of what is comfortable. The broad way is easy because it demands nothing from us. But the narrow way—the way of covenant faithfulness—requires everything.

To be lukewarm is to remain unmoved. It is to settle into spiritual comfort, avoiding the disruption that true commitment brings. But יהוה is not calling us to be stationary or self-satisfied—He is calling us to move. To go. To live lives that are responsive, active, and awake.

I say all of this because I’ve noticed a concerning lukewarmness among many who profess faith in Messiah—a lack of seriousness when it comes to truly walking with יהוה. It’s the kind of mindset that treats faith as something reserved for Sundays or special occasions like Christmas. There’s often a passive acknowledgement of belief—“I believe in God”—but that belief doesn’t always translate into an active, obedient life. Instead, many seem too busy, distracted, or preoccupied to live out the calling we’ve all received—one that demands far more than words.

What’s more, there seems to be a growing number, perhaps even the majority, of those who identify as committed believers, yet are deeply immersed in worldly interests. Interests which are in direct conflict with Biblical values and priorities. This is a serious issue in itself. After all, we are called not to be of the world, as the following verses make clear:

John 17:14-16 - “I have given them Your word, and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

Romans 12:2 - “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.”

James 4:4 - “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against Elohim? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim.”

1 John 2:15-16 - “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

We have been called out of the world (John 15:19). What compounds this issue is a noticeable neglect in cultivating intimacy with יהוה—through time in the Word, in prayer, and in daily surrender. Without these foundations, how can we grow? How can we remain set apart in a world that constantly pulls us in the opposite direction?

Ok, so in conclusion. 

This isn’t about perfection—none of us are perfect. It’s about seriousness: being serious enough to surrender, to repent, to obey. The narrow path is hard, but it leads to life. Faith is not a pastime or convenience. It’s living for the One who gave everything for us. Our purpose is not personal comfort or happiness, even to quote “live our best life now,” but instead to live according to יהוה’s will, with a joy that transcends circumstances, rooted deeply in Him.

Accepting Messiah is only the beginning. Sanctification is a lifelong commitment requiring unwavering dedication. We are called not to blend in, but to stand apart as lights reflecting His holiness and drawing others to Him. Anything less falls short of our high calling. Wherever you are today, if lukewarm, there is hope. יהוה welcomes the repentant, empowers the willing, and walks with the faithful. Lamentations 3:22-23 — “The steadfast love of יהוה never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

So I ask: How serious are we? Faith demands our all—no half measures, no sitting on the fence, no excuses, no delays. The choice is ours, but the call is clear: will we settle for lukewarm faith, or choose today to follow יהוה with every fibre of our being? Let today be the day we take Him and our walk with Him seriously. 

YHWH says in Malachi 3:7:

“Return to Me, and I will return to you.”

May today mark a turning point—let this be the day we return to יהוה, renewing our commitment with a deeper resolve to walk in reverence, set-apartness, and wholehearted devotion to our Master.

So, how serious are we?

Let our lives answer that question.

May יהוה be with you and bless you.