Despite buying it a few months ago, I haven't really worn it much. It is a bold, vibrant colour, which doesn't really call for half measures. Properly applied, it is a glamorous pillar box red, reminiscent of the 1920s. Tentatively applied, it looks like Pat Butcher.
I haven't worn it much because I have always felt it was a bit too obvious and I wasn't sure I wanted to draw that much attention to myself. It calls for boldness and forces me to decide: am I in or out?
In the same way, in Revelation, Jesus wrote to the church at Laodicea, asking them to decide: are you in or out? He criticised them for being "lukewarm", for not being fully committed to Him or His church.
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!"
[Revelation 3:15, 16 NLT]
In the same way that red lipstick is better not applied than applied cautiously, Jesus said it was better for the church at Laodicea to choose one way or another.
Fully committed or not at all.
His challenge is for us too: are we in or out? Will we commit everything we have to Jesus, trusting in Him to meet our needs, or will we only offer Him half-hearted commitment when it suits us and is convenient? If it is the latter, Jesus goes so far as to say that He would rather we didn't bother - He either wants all of us, or none of us.
Jesus, like red lipstick, demands that we choose: either in or out. All or nothing.
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