By Not Known
Married or dating couples in a love relationship are quite familiar with this playful teaser, “Coffee, tea or me?” It is a light-hearted way of seeking attention. So while coffee is good and tea as well, the ‘I’ has to be the most desirable – choose me! Sadly, some couples lose their sparks and a simple teaser like this turns into a serious diagnostic question – why should I choose you over my “life-giving” cuppa of the day? I wish that you were, so-to-speak, “stimulating like caffeine or calming like Camomile”. But you are neither Sobering?
The love relationship between Christ and his churches in Asia Minor came under spiritual diagnosis in the Book of Revelation. They had to choose between loving themselves, loving their idols, or loving Christ. I wrote previously that spiritual compromise can easily lead to three “fallen-conditions” – falling from loving Christ, falling into sexual immorality, and falling into spiritual apathy. The Laodicean church was a classic example of the last condition. Jesus warned, “Because you were neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:16) Sobering?
Spiritual apathy can happen to any Christian, however fervent and faithful he is. Coldness and indifference towards God’s world, God’s worshippers, God’s work, and God’s word are symptoms of this fallen-ness. It is a silent killer much like hypertension leading to a stroke and heart-attack. Spiritual hypertension happens when we live under the prolonged pressures of life, ministry and people issues with no relief in sight. The Evil One infiltrates our minds with a lie – “God does not care enough about you…”
When this lies takes root in our minds, we begin to feel disappointed, discouraged, and dismayed. Since God does not care about me, why then should I care about him? Soon the loving relationship that once fired our passion and purity for God turns into a transactional relationship. In a transaction, one party pays another for a service provided or a thing purchased. Similarly, if God does not do anything for me or for my situation, then I will simply get on with my own life as though we are strangers. Since strangers do not talk unless necessary, so we no longer pray.
Are you also showing spiritual apathy? You don’t really want to pray or serve or care much since you feel that God does not care much about you. God does love and care about you! But recognise it is not about “coffee, tea or you”. It is about Christ to whom all attention must be given. He is our “life-giving cuppa” every day. Choose Jesus! Choose life!
Benson Goh