Cold Heart = Hot Hell
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
“A jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first and best. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart.” – C.H. Spurgeon
Back in April 2018, I traveled to Memphis Tennessee to attend a conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The conference was co-sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
As you can imagine, it was a very sobering trip, especially for someone like me who has spent most of his adult life ministering to minority inmates and at-risk youth. Because of those decades of prison ministry, I have developed a real heart for racial reconciliation, starting with the body of Christ.
The highlight of the trip was visiting the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis and standing just a few feet away from the balcony where a racist coward named James Earl Ray gunned down Dr. King on April 4, 1968. A lump the size of a grapefruit formed in my throat, and I was unable to speak as my eyes welled up with tears. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life, similar to when I visited Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C., the site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
It was also one of the coldest, because in order to get there I had to walk quite a few blocks from my hotel on a gray and blustery day. Despite wearing an undershirt, a long-sleeved dress shirt, and a winter coat, I was frozen stiff.
My friend, it is one thing to endure some unseasonably cold temperatures for a few hours, but it is far worse to allow a spiritual chill to invade and occupy your soul. Don’t spend an hour, a day, a year, or a lifetime apart from the warmth of God’s presence… or you will find yourself spending eternity in a place far hotter than that.
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7 (NKJV)
“I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16 (NKJV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
