You see it everywhere - blank apathetic stares when God is mentioned. Yes, this has happened to me often, I'll mention God and people's eyes will glaze over. Personally, I can't think of a better topic than the great I AM, Creator of all that is, the Author of Life. And truthfully - people's hearts should leap for joy at the mention of His name. Why does the mention of God get such a lukewarm response so often? According to statistics, most people believe in God. Then why do so few speak about Him? A great spiritual apathy has grabbed hold of our nation and world.
The sorriest sight I ever did see
Was the brother of Sloth: Apathy
A vice so great and so profound
Spying an evil, he'll make not a sound
Too lazy to stand and use his own voice
By his very silence has made his choice
He has made his bed and there he lies
Being "politically correct" is his disguise
A mask he wears to fool friend and foe
Hides a stunted soul that has failed to grow
A failure to act - a slowness to speak
Beneath the cover his spirit is weak
Neither hot nor cold, lukewarm at best
He views the world with disinterest.
What's the cure for apathy? Prayer. Ask the Lord to remove apathy from your heart. Pray that He pours His Spirit into your soul. The Holy Spirit's fire will stir up the soul as He pours his zeal into it.
Abba, set souls on fire for you. Pour your Spirit upon us, for where Your Spirit rests there is no apathy. May zeal for your House consume us! I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, from whom all good things come. Amen.
Apathy is a hard one. I know I can be lazy.... Anyway, good post. Mary, thank you for your kind words to me on my blog. Helps a lot.
ReplyDeleteYour posts always touch me JBR. I don't think I've ever met anyone who tries as hard as you. I really believe God wants to heal little JBR and big JBR. Truly. I pray for you a lot. I know you have suffered some huge betrayals in your life. Release those who harmed you into God's hands. The true JBR is a beautiful soul created by a loving God. You know this by faith and when this knowledge reaches deep into your heart it will set you free. God loves you so much; a love beyond measure.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteThis isn't a comment about your post per se, so you don't need to publish it. I just wanted to invite you to "Kids say the darndest things Friday" blog hop at:
http://mysticalrosedesign.blogspot.com/2010/03/post-signature_19.html
We’d love to have you join the fun and share your stories. I’m sure that you have some real gems!
In Christ,
Lucy
Apathy is difficult to be around because it's so easy to catch, like a cold virus when your immune system is down. And yet, fortified by prayer, a positive attitude and the certain knowledge that He does care about each and every one of us, one person can also 'infect' his or her own environment with compassion, thus inoculating everyone against the crippling effects of apathy. I've seen it happen.
ReplyDeleteHe does love us SO much! Great post Mary! God bless you!
Thank you. I forget to pray for the cure for apathy. I am so glad to have read this today, because I was just thinking about it yesterday. God is good, all the time.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have seen this. Then, I spent two years in the Middle East, where there is no separation between church and state. After that, I ended up in a spiritual little California mission town (and would not leave here for anything), and, surprising, slowly, at work in an organization that does require separation of church and state God has come back into the daily conversation. I have seen it between me and others and among others. I think we have to be the first step. I did not back away from talking about God -- not evangelically, but just as a fact of life, and it caught on. Sometimes it may be less apathy and more fear of non-acceptance. When one person ignores that fear and speaks up, others may follow. Good post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth :) I agree that in some cases it is fear of what others may think but in many cases it's the apathy which has gripped much of our country. I see it in the eyes of many of our youth and it breaks my heart. Our country has become crippled spiritually but I have great hope that things will change. It's great that you found a town like this to live in, I always pray for the conversion of my little city! God should be part of our daily lives and as you say - spoken about as a fact of life. I liked that!
ReplyDeleteThere are many who simply do not want to know about God. Yet, He is our creator,our source of life and He gave His all.
ReplyDelete2 Corinthians 12:9
"But whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in Heaven."
Jesus spoke powerful words about this..
God Bless you Mary.