I hate to start out with this statement, considering I may offend some people, but if you are struggling with apathy, stop playing the pity party. That's all apathy is. A pity party. So stop it. Get over yourself and concentrate on your faith. Don't worry, I'm convicted in this as well as some of you. I struggled with this in high school my junior and senior year which may suprise some of you reading this. Mainly, I was apathetic about my health and that translated into some of my relationships. Instead of just going deeper and deeper into your apathy, start thinking, what is this teaching me? What purpose would be behind God allowing me to go through this? Should I be changing something about my attitude?
"Whatever your hand finds to
do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is
neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
-Ecclesiastes 9:10
Well, this verse could not be clearer, or more blunt. Basically, it's saying once you're dead, you're out of luck. There is no going back, there is no re-do. You have this life to make a difference. You have this life only to proclaim your faith. How can you do that when you're apathetic? Exactly. You can't. This makes me think about the title of my blog. This journey of faith that we are on is only going to last a lifetime. That's like the snap of a finger. I know it doesn't feel like that, but one day, you aren't going to have a tomorrow. So, don't wait! Do it now! Apathy is hard to get out of, I know, but start by reading Scripture and being intentional in your life. Right now, in your life, you have knowledge and wisdom to plan and work towards God's purpose for you, whatever that may be! Don't waste your opportunity. So, whatever you're struggling with to make you apathetic, go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to take that from you. The relationship with Christ is not a one-sided relationship. Do your part.
Well, this verse could not be clearer, or more blunt. Basically, it's saying once you're dead, you're out of luck. There is no going back, there is no re-do. You have this life to make a difference. You have this life only to proclaim your faith. How can you do that when you're apathetic? Exactly. You can't. This makes me think about the title of my blog. This journey of faith that we are on is only going to last a lifetime. That's like the snap of a finger. I know it doesn't feel like that, but one day, you aren't going to have a tomorrow. So, don't wait! Do it now! Apathy is hard to get out of, I know, but start by reading Scripture and being intentional in your life. Right now, in your life, you have knowledge and wisdom to plan and work towards God's purpose for you, whatever that may be! Don't waste your opportunity. So, whatever you're struggling with to make you apathetic, go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to take that from you. The relationship with Christ is not a one-sided relationship. Do your part.
"I know your deeds, that you
are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because
you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my
mouth."
-Revelation 3:16-17
Yikes. Well, to put it mildly, this verse is a wake-up call. In Revelation, God is talking to a church, but this verse is applicable to everyone who is embedded in apathy. If this verse doesn't strike some fear in you, it should. I mean, it's very harsh and scary to think that God would rather you be cold than be lukewarm. The way I see it, is that if you are apathetic, you have lost your faith in God's promises. You have lost your zeal for life. You have lost the influence of the Holy Spirit. But, God knows you're struggling with it. Pray. I can't stress that enough. Pray and ask Him to actively change your heart. Reconsider your circumstances and look at what you're learning, think about what God may be trying to teach you. When I dealt with apathy about my diabetes, I couldn't get rid of it for the longest time. I was miserable. But when I thought about it, God could've been developing my empathy for the patients I'll work with in the future with nursing. God could've been teaching me the importance of taking care of myself and setting an example. God could've been developing my character and making me into a stronger daughter of Christ. He simply may have been telling me to turn to Him for everything. I'm not self-sufficient, I wouldn't be where I am today without Him. Look for the lessons He may be teaching you and become warm again!
Yikes. Well, to put it mildly, this verse is a wake-up call. In Revelation, God is talking to a church, but this verse is applicable to everyone who is embedded in apathy. If this verse doesn't strike some fear in you, it should. I mean, it's very harsh and scary to think that God would rather you be cold than be lukewarm. The way I see it, is that if you are apathetic, you have lost your faith in God's promises. You have lost your zeal for life. You have lost the influence of the Holy Spirit. But, God knows you're struggling with it. Pray. I can't stress that enough. Pray and ask Him to actively change your heart. Reconsider your circumstances and look at what you're learning, think about what God may be trying to teach you. When I dealt with apathy about my diabetes, I couldn't get rid of it for the longest time. I was miserable. But when I thought about it, God could've been developing my empathy for the patients I'll work with in the future with nursing. God could've been teaching me the importance of taking care of myself and setting an example. God could've been developing my character and making me into a stronger daughter of Christ. He simply may have been telling me to turn to Him for everything. I'm not self-sufficient, I wouldn't be where I am today without Him. Look for the lessons He may be teaching you and become warm again!
"I no longer call you
servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I
have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have
made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to
go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you
whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."
-John 15:15-17
I love this verse. God is telling you to be intentional here. Be intentional in your relationships. Be intentional in your faith. First of all, He calls us friends. Christ came down to teach us how to live intentionally through God. He taught us and gave us guidance. How can we take that and be apathetic with it? I also like that the verse says we did not choose Him. You hear people say all the time "I chose Christ to be the leader of my life." Yeah, okay, well you may have entered into a relationship with Him, but God works everywhere. He chose you to be a follower. We make the choice to accept the offer, but if you're a believer, He already called you to go live out your faith. Don't be apathetic about that. That's nothing to just brush off your shoulder. Use what God gave you or what experiences He allowed you to go through to help minister to others. You don't know what kind of encouragement somebody may need that day. Maybe they just need a smile. If you're apathetic, you won't be providing that smile for somebody. So, live intentionally. Don't deprive yourself of the joy of Christ.
I love this verse. God is telling you to be intentional here. Be intentional in your relationships. Be intentional in your faith. First of all, He calls us friends. Christ came down to teach us how to live intentionally through God. He taught us and gave us guidance. How can we take that and be apathetic with it? I also like that the verse says we did not choose Him. You hear people say all the time "I chose Christ to be the leader of my life." Yeah, okay, well you may have entered into a relationship with Him, but God works everywhere. He chose you to be a follower. We make the choice to accept the offer, but if you're a believer, He already called you to go live out your faith. Don't be apathetic about that. That's nothing to just brush off your shoulder. Use what God gave you or what experiences He allowed you to go through to help minister to others. You don't know what kind of encouragement somebody may need that day. Maybe they just need a smile. If you're apathetic, you won't be providing that smile for somebody. So, live intentionally. Don't deprive yourself of the joy of Christ.
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