Thermostat vs Thermometer

Do you know the difference between a thermostat & a thermometer? Both have something to do with temperature but they are fundamentally different. Inside the house, a thermostat is something we set that dictates the temperature in a room. (In this country, it is a part of the air conditioner that we fiddle with to make the room as cool as we want it to be.) A thermometer simply tells us what the room temperature is.

People are either thermostats or thermometers. Most people are simply thermometers. They tend to reflect the culture around them. They buy what other people buy, say things that others say, wear things that others wear, & value things that others value. There might be slight variations but most people do not set the ‘climate’ for the world they live in. They just mirror back that climate. Christians are called to be thermostats. We should be able to set the social climate in which we are placed. And how do we do this? By living according to the values & principles which our Maker, & Savior has set for us in the Bible. All people, including non-Christians respect other people who are values-driven & principle-centered. When they see authentic Christians who value God’s Word & live life God’s way, they will be influenced. Christians should be the pacesetters. We should influence rather than be influenced. We should be thermostats instead of thermometers.

Years ago, a boy grew up in a Jewish home, watching everything his father did. His father didn’t realize the influence that he had. They attended a synagogue until their family moved to another city & there was no synagogue nearby. The father decided to switch religious beliefs. It was only a way of meeting business contacts anyway. This father’s failure to live by values outside of his own benefit led his son to question morality, ethics & his faith. As the boy grew, he believed that religion was a “crutch” for the masses. He wrote that money was behind anything meaningful in the world. The boy’s name was Karl Marx & he led millions of people into a destructive belief that finally crumbled in the end.

As Christians, our ‘label’ can already influence others – our children, family, friends, co-workers & other people we come in contact with. We should allow God to set our thermostats – for the good of others & for the glory of God.



Adapted from : Habitudes. Dr. Tim Elmore © 2004 Campus Crusade Asia Limited. pp. 33-40