If I were to ask you the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat, that would be an easy answer…right? A thermostat changes the temperature where a thermometer is changed by the temperature. While preparing this study for our ongoing lessons for the teens, I came across a definition for the two that made me look at this in a completely different way. A thermometer reacts to the temperature in the room and a thermostat first takes the temperature of the room and then puts a plan in place to adapt and adjust to what is needed. For some reason that really grabbed me and made me rephrase the question… Am I a thermostat or a thermometer? At times we are both, but sometimes we need to be a thermometer. We need to be able to let ourselves adjust to the climate around us. Other times we must be the thermostat in the room. This is where it can get tricky…if we adjust the thermostat incorrectly, we can make the situation way too hot or way too cold!
We live in such a fast paced society now that we neglect the important things because we are too busy doing the things we believe are important. We find ourselves putting more and more things on our plate to get done, and before we realize it, we have pushed the time we need to study and pray off the plate. When we fail to take the time to study, our core values and strong foundation can shift and we can become thermometers changing with what is around us. Jesus warns us about this in Luke 6: 46-49 when he tells us the parable of the man building his house on a rock with a strong foundation vs building it on sand. If you are a thermometer and build your house on the sand, then whatever wave comes across you during the day will change you to that climate. But if we take time to study his word, pray and put into practice what we are taught, you are like the man building on the rock. You are strengthening our foundation and core values. The stronger our foundation is, the better thermostat we can be. It will not matter the storm that will rise in front of you, you will be able to take that wave, evaluate what the issue is and respond in a way that warms our hearts to Jesus rather than turn them cold!