THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Friday October 06, 2023

Lord, how did they go from hot to cold? The Ephesian believers’ zeal for you could not be contained. People recognized the believers by their deep love for you and one another. The Ephesian believers’ love ignited their rapid growth in number and passion for the lost. But thirty years later, we find you rebuking the Ephesian church for their spiritual apathy. “You have forsaken the love you had at first,” (Revelation 2:4).

What happened? Spiritual apathy is a subtle, slowly evolving enemy of the Christ follower. Jubilant worship becomes mundane and joyless. Praise consists of mindlessly repeating liturgy without passion. Prayers become mechanical, predictively checking off the right clichés to sound religious.

Apathy causes society to identify believers for their strict adherence to religious rules and judgmental spirit instead of our love for you and compassion for others. Over time, apathy causes believers to become indifferent to your mandate to lead to you those who are broken, in need of hope and a renewed life. Bible study and prayer time aren’t a priority anymore.

Lord, forgive our apathy, our coldness to your calling. We repent. Do whatever you need to shake us from our apathy. Help us honestly look inward to confirm if we truly are a Christ follower, not just someone who likes what you do (Romans 8:16). Restore to our spirits the joy of knowing you. May our adoration and praise be a prelude of Heaven’s worship, holy with unrestrained joy.

If we remain mindful of your presence in all our interactions, apathy will never stand a chance of polluting our passion for serving you.

Lord, may we be recognized as Christ followers by our love for you. Increase our compassion for those who do not know you. We never want to hear your rebuke for our leaving you, our first love.

Amen, Jesus.