A Bad Cup of Coffee

I dedicate the following post to Popsie. When he orders coffee he always says, “I’d like a cup of coffee if it’s fresh”. If it is not freshly brewed he promptly refuses it.

Coffee is served and brewed different ways. Some like it black, with cream, with sugar, or with artificial sweetener. Some may like coffee with flavorings or flavored cream. While people may not agree on how they 'like' their coffee most agree on what makes a bad cup of coffee. Bad coffee can be weak, bitter, stale, cold, or soured. No one likes to drink a bad cup of coffee. Nor do people enjoy being around bad tasting Christians.

Weak. When we are weak Christians, we have a lack of faith. Weakness often comes from a lack of knowledge of the word. The way to remedy our weakness is to add some grounds. Dig into God's Word and get grounded on its principles. Learn scriptural doctrine. Enrich yourself with a vibrant prayer life. Rely on God's strength and not your own.

Bitter. If bitterness isn't dealt with, it starts growing and destroying life. Bitterness doesn't leave a pleasant aroma. You can't do much with a bitter cup of coffee. No matter how much cream or sugar, or even how much whip cream you want to add, the bitter taste is still present. You have to empty the cup and start with a new fresh brewed pot of coffee. Isn't that like our Christian life? No matter how much we add to our Christian lives, no matter how many good deeds we do, how many church programs we become involved with; if we are bitter it hinders our Christian walk. We need to empty our bitterness and ourselves of self and allow God to fill our lives and take control.

Stale. The dictionary describes, stale as "tasteless or unpalatable from age". Do you ever get complacent about your walk with God? Lost that first love? It's easy to do, especially for those of us who has known the Lord for a long time. We become weary in well doing. We don’t intend to just sit as Christians and do nothing but we do. "Unpalatable" doesn't go far enough to describe us sometimes. We need to freshen up. Christians should not sit idle or become stale and tasteless.

Cold. Have you ever taken a drink of coffee that has become cold and you were expecting it to be warm or hot? If we are not careful we can grow cold as Christians. We get away from God, slow down in our Bible reading, our prayer life suffers, we become unfaithful to church and pretty soon we are cold. The common way to heat a cup of coffee is to add some hot coffee to the cup. In other words we go to the original source of the heat. As Christians we need to return to the Source often. When we get on our knees and talk to the Lord we draw closer to Him and get warmed up.

Sour. Have you ever tried a new flavoring in your coffee that just left a sour taste in your mouth? Or maybe you've put some cream or milk that had soured into your coffee. Adding something sour to a good cup of coffee destroys the coffee.When we allow ungodliness in our lives we become sour. We become ineffective in our Christian lives when we allow the things of the world.

I never want to fit in one of the categories of a bad cup of coffee. I want to be able to remain in the presence of the LORD. Spending time with the Lord brings a sweet aroma. In order to avoid being weak, bitter, stale, cold, or sour Christians we must dwell in the presence of God.