Overcoming Apathy

I am good…not really

Revelation 3:14-22

Clay Smith JFBC 

Apathy…think about the Nazi concentration camps. In the last decade people have been taking selfies in front of the gates, smiling and laughing. This practice was stopped.

Book: Uche Anizor wrote Overcoming Apathy

Apathy = indifference, slothful. Cares for nothing, lives for nothing.

Reasons why people struggle with apathy:

Do I care about the things that God cares about? A tough word from Jesus about the church in this passage, in Laodicea. They were filled with false converts, unbelievers. Three cities on the trade route. Known for its wealth, textiles, an early school of optomology they had developed an eye salve. Had hot springs as well as cool springs nearby, but Laodicea only had lukewarm water. The people were like the water.

V 17 - 18 they were used to buying things. Jesus said they needed to buy garments and salve to help them overcome their apathy.

Contributors to apathy…

1. Doubt. Not trusting anything. Have mercy on those who doubt.

2. Triviality. Is everything really awesome?

3. Fragility. Culture doesn’t want to take risks.

V 19 Jesus rebukes and disciplines because he loves them. Sometimes the answer is no. God wants us to repent.

V 20 I stand at the door and knock. I will dine with them. The grace of God is in this passage.

Have you gotten apathetic to the things of God? Pray God break my heart for the things that break your heart.

1. Idolatry. Colossians says greed into an idol…kids, etc. it’s spiritual adultery.

2. Unbelief breaks God’s heart. Spurgeon if sinners be damned let them leap into hell over our dead bodies.

3. Perversion. Satan is the master of perversion. Look at God’s definition of marriage. The world is destroying people. Romans 1 what happens when people take their eyes off God. Churches think they are loving but God condemns.

4. Injustice to award the poor and vulnerable.

How do you overcome apathy?

1. Remember Gods big story. God is coming back. We aren’t the center of the universe.

2. Renew your daily habits, unhurried time with God. Piper: prayerless is not from a lack of time.

3. Put others first.

4. Fasting allows us to be homesick for heaven.

Would Jesus spit you out of his mouth? Come fellowship with Him. Receive His gift of salvation.

Glad football is here. Both the Pack and Falcons have new QB's. Falcon #1 pick the RB from Texas looks like a stud. Dijon Robinson. I think the Packers drafted a kid from Ceil's tiny home town in SC. Tomorrow here at the office everyone is bringing in food to celebrate the start of the season.

Friday GT vs Louisville

Saturday UGA on ESPN+

Monday Clemson vs Duke

I am running or working out 6 or 7 days per week. Mon-Friday AM at the gym. Also run on the treadmill. Alternate running with weightlifting.

Last night I worked until 6 pm. Leftovers for supper. Then to a friend’s house for cheese & crackers, and sangria. They’re making plans to practice hospitality overseas, hosting others taking short breaks from their work.

Crazy times at work. Gonna have SAP stuff from here on out. Meetings and cleaning up AS400 data for the transfer over. Cleaning up emails. Last day of the month - plenty to do. Getting into SAP crunch time. An AS400 work order may take 5 minutes to enter. An SAP WO takes at least 15 minutes, plus one AS400 WO is 2 or 3 WO's in SAP. Over 100 slit parts, and even more fabricated. Plus inventory must be "shipped" and "received" every time it travels from our plants to stamper to painter, etc. Gonna be hard to keep our customer running. Every day is a fire drill even before SAP. 

A great movie scene, from My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Artificial “Intelligence” – Chap GPT generated a fake Bible verse that’s been making it’s rounds on social media. So don’t believe everything you read.

JOE TORRE   [SABR Bio] was the first player to hit into four double plays in a single major league game, on 21-Jul-1975, Torre had 4 plate appearances and 4 X grounded into a double play. Facing Houston’s Ken Forsch, Torre donated the “pitcher’ best friend” proceedings in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th (all but the 6th inning ended the inning). Played for the Mets from 1975-77. As manager in 1977, having played more than 100 games the year before with respectable stats, he put himself in as a player at 3rd and first a total of 17 times. Since then only Don Kessinger (CHW in 1979) and Pete Rose (CIN 1984-85) served as player managers. He and his brother played together for Milwaukee one year. Frank Torre, nine years Joe’s senior, played for the Phillies as well.