Are You a Thermometer or Thermostat?

There’s a small but distinct difference between the two. A thermometer can tell you what the temperature is. It accurately reflects the surrounding climate. A thermostat, on the other hand, sets the temperature. On a blazing summer day or a freezing winter night, you don’t want a thermometer simply reflecting how miserable you are. You want a thermostat to change the climate around you. We’re used to setting the temperature climate around us, but what about the mental, emotional and spiritual climate of the spaces we inhabit?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that we are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” We’re designed to change our circumstances, not merely reflect them. The Apostle Paul shares this heartbeat when he states in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In today’s terms, he’s saying ‘don’t be a thermometer, be a thermostat.’ Don’t merely reflect the values of a fallen world, be transformed and transform your world.

Think about where you work or where you go to school. Is it a healthy environment or a toxic one? Does it reflect the world’s values or godly values? Are you merely reflecting the culture around you, or are you being intentional for Christ? Are you being salt and light? Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?

Think about your home environment. Is it a healthy environment? Is it filled with love, intimacy, trust, care, joy and laughter? Is God in the middle of your home? Is Christ at the center of your family? Or have you fallen under the gravitational pull to follow the world’s example? Is your family dominated by the pursuit of money, the pursuit of leisure, the pursuit of self? Is there bitterness, anger, silence in the home? If your home life is toxic, God is calling you to be a thermostat, to change the emotional and spiritual climate in your home.

Tomorrow’s post will look at three ways you can begin to change the climate in your home. Are you a thermometer or thermostat?