Wake Up – December 4, 2019

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Romans 13:11-14

Wake Up

How many hours of sleep do you get in a day? Do you get the recommended eight? Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ and author of this letter to the Christians in Rome, contended that we may sleep more than we realize.

He was referring to spiritual sleep. Like a leaf in a river, it is easy to be carried along wherever life takes us, to go through the motions of our daily routine, jumping from activity to activity. We are living but we aren’t really awake. We are not aware of who we are or what our purpose is. When this happens, we are not living our faith intentionally. We are just going through the motions.

Paul encourages us to wake up, to rejoice that Jesus has rescued us from the sins that separated us from him. He encourages us to dress ourselves in the armor of light, ready to reflect the love of Jesus and to serve our neighbor’s good.

Do this today. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow may be too late because Jesus has promised he will return to judge the living and the dead. So, let’s not be spiritually asleep when he does. Rather, let’s be wide awake and ready!

Prayer:
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus, I want to walk as a child of the light. Amen.