Ephesians 5:11-16 Living Bible
11 Take no part in the worthless pleasures of evil and darkness, but instead, rebuke and expose them. 12 It would be shameful even to mention here those pleasures of darkness that the ungodly do. 13 But when you expose them, the light shines in upon their sin and shows it up, and when they see how wrong they really are, some of them may even become children of light! 14 That is why God says in the Scriptures, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise up from the dead; and Christ shall give you light.”
15-16 So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.
The Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Are we struggling with staying motivated enough to do even the most basic tasks we have to do?
Too much stress or too much frustration or discouragement in this fallen world can leave us physically and spiritually burned out. In such a state of mind, like dragging a diesel locomotive, to care about what God wants us to care about.
We may still go through the motions of daily life. We can even complete most of your responsibilities and keep moving forward even when you feel apathetic.
But it’s exhausting to lose your enthusiasm for life. Both your mental health and our relationship with God can suffer when we’re struggling with apathy.
Apathy
Apathy, also referred to as indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and/or concern about something. It is that state of indifference, and/or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion.
An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or minimal concern about their emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, virtual, or physical life and the world. Apathy can also be defined as a person’s lack of clear goal orientation.
- Disengagement from work and hobbies
- Lack of emotional expression
- Reduced interest in social interactions
- Difficulty initiating or completing tasks
The Bible describes apathy as a spiritual sleep. It urges us to wake up from that sleep as if we are rising from the dead.
Then it promises that “Christ will shine on you.”
God doesn’t intend for us to live in a kind of spiritual sleepiness, where we’re alive but not fully aware of the life God wants us to enjoy.
God designed and created our body, mind, and spirit to be connected.
All those important parts need rest and care regularly for us to be well.
God’s invitation in Ephesians 5:13-14 isn’t meant to shame us.
Through these words, God is gently calling us back into the light of Christ, where we can start to recover.
This Bible passage points out that light makes things visible.
When light enters a dark room, it reveals what we couldn’t see physically.
In the same way, the light of Christ helps us see what’s happening spiritually in your life.
Sometimes that light illuminates areas where we’ve grown spiritually tired.
Other times, it reveals habits which drain our energy or thinking patterns that weigh down our minds.
Instead of leaving us in the dark, Christ’s light offers something much better: renewal and revival.
The call to “wake up” is really an open invitation to step back into that light.
You can start waking up with just small steps.
Caring for our physical and mental health in simple ways – like getting the rest we need, spending time outside in nature – we make progress toward recovery.
At the same time, we can take small steps closer to God. Pray! ask him to help us overcome apathy.
Try a new prayer discipline, or starting a discipline of reading the Bible again every day in a manageable way, such as just one verse a day.
God will meet us where we are, to keep walking toward the healing we need.
We just need to reach out for help and rely on the guidance and strength that God will send us.
The more we let Christ’s light shine into our lives, the more we’ll experience how light can overcome darkness in this world. Over time, Christ’s light will restore your energy and motivation.
We’ll feel less indifferent and start to care more about what matters most.
Our thoughts will become brighter.
Oour sense of purpose will start to return.
Step by step, the light of our Savior Christ will reach every part of our lives.
Then we can thrive in every way – spiritually, mentally, and physically.
All we have to do to start our healing process is reach out to God for help.
John 1:1-5 New American Standard Bible
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him [b]not even one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [c]grasp it.
He is ready to meet us where we are and gently motivate us back into His light.
So, beloved of God, arise, wake up, rise, and let Christ’s light shine on us again.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
Praying …
God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
139 Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I get up;
You understand my thought from far away.
3 You [c]scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You know it all.
5 You have encircled me behind and in front,
And placed Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [f]Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will [g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even darkness is not dark [h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 