Dear fellow Christian,

Are you excited about the things of God? Are you actively searching for those you can touch with God’s love and message? Do you itch with anticipation as you look forward to spending time devouring God’s Word?

If you are like the average Christian today, that excitement is lacking. For example, it’s probably been a long time since your heart broke for a lost person. (I don’t mean someone who couldn’t find their way to the mall…I mean someone who is headed for hell because they have no idea that Jesus died to save them.) Instead, we go about our lives happy that we know the Savior and are heaven bound, but not too concerned about those who do not know him.

I mean, when was the last time you even spoke the name of Jesus to someone…to any of the hundreds of people who cross your path each and every week–clients, fellow moms, service workers, neighbors.

Has it been a long time? Maybe forever?

Most modern American Christians are content with the basics: being kind to others, working hard to earn a living, and attending church now and then…when its convenient. They rush about trying to keep up with Joneses, not caring too much about the needs of countless disadvantaged people in their communities and around the world…not thinking much about spiritual things at all. There is certainly no real burden for the lost.

Neither are modern American Christians a very self-sacrificial group. Many of us consider it a real downer to waste a Saturday afternoon helping someone less fortunate, visiting someone in the hospital, or helping an elderly neighbor fix their roof instead of going to the beach, hanging out at the lake, or going to see the latest blockbuster movie. (We’d rather do any of those things than go to church, as well!) And forget about giving up our hard-earned money to a Christian charity or a friend in need. We need every penny to keep up our standard of living, right?

We are charged with being the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. How is that going?

Can you think of any true sacrifices you have made lately for the kingdom? Sacrifices of time, money, or effort? Or is personal comfort your mantra?

Another area of apathy in our Christian culture today is that of spiritual growth.

When was the last time you attended a Bible study, a church service, or a Sunday school class to learn more about the Word of God? Perhaps it has been many weeks or months since you have even opened the Bible at home to read a passage or two. Sometimes we become so busy playing, planning, and working that we neglect this important spiritual discipline. Are you interested at all about what the God of the universe has to say to you through His Word? As Christians, we should have a desire to grow in the knowledge of God. Many of us think we have arrived and that there is nothing more we can learn, especially if we came to know Christ many years ago. That is just not true. The Bible is a bottomless treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge that surprises us with new insights time and time again. Never make the mistake of thinking you are too spiritually smart to learn new things. Ask God this week to revive that desire in you for reading and studying His Word.

The question is: Where is our passion for the things of God? Where is our action motivated by gratitude for what Christ has done for us? Where is our concern for people who will spend eternity in hell?

We are, no doubt, an apathetic Christian generation. In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus addresses the church in Laodicea. He says to them, “I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold, 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.” Although they were rich in material things, the Laodiceans were in a wretched, poor state of spiritual apathy. Let’s not be found in the same pitiful state when Jesus arrives to take us home.

Pray for God to revive your heart and renew your love for Him. Pray for a fresh hunger for His Word. Pray for a rekindled fire for reaching lost souls.

Say “goodbye” to apathy and “hello” to passion for the things of God!