Thermostat Or Thermometer

Thermostat or Thermometer?

In my car there is a thermometer which tells us the outside temperature

„X When we arrived at church today, I knew it was 28 degrees outside because of the thermometer

„X Inside the car though, the temperature was 22 degrees even though it was 28 outside. How come?

„X Right, we have air-conditioning

„X But if I just turn on the AC the temperature would continue to drop and drop until we are freezing in the car, so then I would have to turn on the heater to warm up and then we would be roasting

„X So a device was invented to regulate the temperature so we don¡¦t have to switch between the AC and the heater

„X Anyone know what it¡¦s called? A thermostat

„X Thermostat is a wonderful invention. I can set the climate control at 22 degrees and we can drive all day at a comfortable temperature

„X A thermostat is active it can do something about the temperature

„X A Thermometer on the other hand is passive it just reflects the temperature around it

Question I have for you today is, are you a thermostat or a thermometer?

„X Want you to think for a moment about the impression you have on those in your family, your friends at school, where you work, and at church

„X Are you someone who simply reflects the temperature or mood of those around you like a thermometer

„X Or are you like a thermostat that affects the temperature of those around you

„X Too often, we’re thermometers, aren’t we?

o If the temperature of those around us rises, so does ours, and we lash back

o If people are cold around us, we to become cold and moody

o If people are negative around us, we become negative and cynical

o If people are critical around us, we become sarcastic and divisive

o If times are tough, we give in to defeatism

„X Can you imagine how different the scene at the cross would have been if Jesus had been a thermometer rather than a thermostat

o What if Jesus would have run away in the face of the temple guard coming to arrest him like the disciples did

o What if Jesus allowed his temper to get the better of Him when he was slapped across the face at his trial

o What if he lashed out at the soldiers trying to tie him to the whipping post

o What if he got into a slanging match with the thieves and the soldiers who ridiculed Him on the cross

„X No Jesus was a thermostat, He was not going to allow himself to get caught up in the negative atmosphere of those around Him

„X Now you might say, well what would you expect, after all was the Son of God

Let¡¦s then look at a mere human example

„X We have a wonderful example of someone who was determined to be a thermostat despite the circumstanced in which he found himself

„X Story is over in Gen 39 ¡V Story of Joseph

„X Things are pretty bad for Joseph, manhandled, thrown in a pit, sold to slave traders and ends up in a foreign country

„X Ends up in the home of one of Pharaoh¡¦s top military leaders, Potiphar

„X Now let¡¦s think about this. Joseph is lined up with all the other slaves to be sold

„X Potiphar had money. He would have been able to pick the choicest of slaves

„X Do you think Potiphar would have picked Joseph if he was in a ¡§woe is me¡¨ type of attitude?

„X So then he gets to Potiphar¡¦s house and what happens

Genesis 39:3-4 "When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and he entrusted to his care everything he owned."

„X Would this have happened if he moped around while he did the vacumning, and the cleaning and the cooking, homesick, strange culture?

„X Things are looking up for Joseph when suddenly Potiphar¡¦s wife takes an interest in him

„X Most men would have been flattered by the attention, just go along with the flow

„X but not Joseph, he was a thermostat

„X And in this case, like Jesus, being a thermostat caused him plenty of grief, yet he still made the choice and he ends up in prison

„X Here was another chance for Joseph to indulge in a little, ¡§Woe is me, I try to do the right thing and look where I end up¡¨

„X Is that what he does?

„X Gen 39:21-23 ¡§¡Kthe Lord was with him ... and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there."