Sometimes in life, it’s possible to see deep, spiritual truths in the simplest of things. And when it comes to our relationship with God, there is a lot we can learn from pancakes and waffles.

For example, what’s the best temperature to serve pancakes and waffles? Hot! Nobody goes to the freezer and pulls out a frozen waffle and starts chomping away. No, they need to be steaming, piping hot to be delicious.

And it’s the same with our faith! We should strive to be “on fire” for God, full of excitement and energy and zeal for God and His word. When the gospel gets mentioned or preached, it should create a kind of hype in us, not a fleeting hype that fades like a vapor, but a deep passion that will last us our whole lives. That’s how you want your waffles and pancakes—heated up and ready to go!

But it’s also possible to have a faith that is ice-cold. Jesus even says in Revelation 3:15:

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

Jesus says that you can’t just try to stay at room temperature when it comes to your faith. You have to choose: hot or cold, heated up or frozen. So choose faith! Choose hot! Be a hot pancake or waffle that melts the butter that goes on top of it.

Think of it this way: the butter is God’s influence in our lives—His word, His love, His Spirit. And more butter makes for a better pancake or waffle. It’s just a fact. Of course, if you’re still frozen in your faith, the butter of God’s love will just stay there on the surface, and you will be unchanged. But if your faith has warmed you up, then the love of God and the peace of God will melt into you and permeate you and saturate you. That’s what you want—to be a pancake or a waffle that is so buttery, so rich, that every part of you is soaked in God’s Word.

But there is a danger here that we have to be careful of. Let’s say you’re a waffle. You’re nice and hot, and the butter gets put on top of you. Great! But if you’re not careful, that butter might start to slip. If you don’t take action, there’s a chance that the butter will slide right off of you onto the plate, where it stops melting and starts cooling down. You haven’t been saturated with butter because you let it slide. You took it easy, and now your relationship with God is mostly around the edges of your life, not at the center of who you are.

Those of us who are waffles have a different problem. The butter goes on top of us, and it starts to melt. Great! But waffles are made of a bunch of tiny little compartments. If you’re not careful to spread it around, the butter will only soak into a few compartments. God’s love and mercy will be partitioned away from all the other areas of your life. You’ll have your school life here, your family life there, your entertainment here, and your relationship with God there. So the butter doesn’t impact all of who you are, just part of who you are.

So what’s the solution? Whether you are a pancake or a waffle, the answer is the same: MORE BUTTER!!! If you find yourself growing cold, ask God to heat you up and get you excited and zealous for the truth of the gospel. Get that butter all over you, and make sure to spread it around! Don’t be lazy, and don’t stop until you have butter soaked all throughout your life and heart and soul and mind.

You know what the best kind of pancake or waffle is? One that is so buttery that it can make another pancake or waffle buttery just by being near it. Let’s soak ourselves in the love of God so much that we always have extra to share. Let’s be dripping with God’s word, and full of God’s Holy Spirit, so that the good news of the eternally blessed breakfast can go forth to all people! Amen?

And finally, remember that a good pancake or waffle can use more than just the basics. What about the syrup of Christian fellowship, the whipped cream of coming to church, the cinnamon of serving in ministry, the chocolate syrup of personal devotions, and the candy sprinkles of deeper Bible study? There’s no limit on toppings when it comes to pancakes and waffles. So don’t just stick with the bare minimum. Go to town! And whatever you do, stay heated up, and keep that butter flowing.