Its hard to stop a Trane

If only I were popular enough to make money off that tag line.  Oh, well.

I know I posted last night, but I was listening to a sermon podcast while working out today and I was hit with a life lesson.  I know its weird to listen to sermons while working out.  Most people listen to AC/DC, 80's rock, etc. to keep them moving during a workout, but I was at the gym yesterday and discovered I had accidentally erased my entire music collection off my iPhone when I did an update earlier in the day.  The only thing that survived were the podcasts.  I would have listened to the music at the gym but right in the middle of lifting weights is not a time to hear "I want to know what love is.  I want you to show me." Its just not that inspirational.

Anyway, today during my workout I wanted to finish the series that I started yesterday.  I am listening to Ed Newton.  If you do not know who Ed Newton is, he is a evangelist that speaks at various youth camps, college ministries, events, and so on.  He is very dynamic and entertaining.  His podcasts are free on iTunes if you want to listen to some of them.

He was speaking out of Daniel 3, which is the story of 'Rack, 'Shack, Benny (for you Veggie Tales fans) and toward the end of the sermon he as making the point that these three men made the decision to stand up to the King and not bow to his idol and remained consistent even in the face of being thrown into the furnace.
The question that was posed was whether we, as followers of Christ, are living our lives as a thermostat or a thermometer.  Do you understand the difference?  A thermometer is used to tell you what the temperature is, it changes with the circumstances.  A thermometers consistency is that it is it does not stay consistent.  Conversely, a thermostat (ideally) determines what the temperature is.  You set a temperature, and the thermostat keeps the temp in the house at a consistent level.

The message that impacted me was whether or not I allow my life circumstances to affect my faith and reliance on God, or do I follow and believe on a consistent basis because of who God is.  In thinking through that idea, I wonder what if God operated as a thermometer and not a thermostat based on my faith in Him.  Not pretty was the answer.  Going forward, my desire is to be more of the thermostat and not so much of the thermometer.