Wake Up, Sleeper!


"...for it is light that makes everything visible.  This is why it is said: 'Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'  Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."  Ephesians 5:14-17
 
Some people are morning people.  Some are not.  As we get older, responsibility and obligations do not not allow us to stay in our particular niche, but kids and teens, however, simply can't hide it.  I have two children who are night owls ... who, subsequently, are not morning people.  In their world, mornings are pure torture.  They are nothing short of angry if they have to get up before noon.  They despise being woken up and have no problem communicating that fact.  Whichever parent is charged with the unenviable task of waking them up is quick to receive barbed objections from the disgruntled slumberer.  My weapon of choice in the relentless quest to get them out of bed, much to their chagrin, is the light switch.  Light seems to pierce the thick web of unconsciousness that calls them like a siren.  Eventually, their feet hit the floor and the day has begun.
 
Our verses for the day paint a very similar picture of some who claim the name Christian.  Paul says that one must be very careful not to sleep on the job.  The cure for "spiritual non-morning people"? ... Light.  Specifically, the light of Jesus.  He will shine on us if we are willing to wake up.  Live wisely.  Seize the day.  The evil one is hard at work.  We should be working even harder.  Foolishness comes easy, but understanding God's will is a conscious decision that we need to make continuously.
 
Some of us are asleep on the job.  We are not setting the right example for our wife and children.  Maybe we have dropped out of church.  Maybe we have made room for sin.  Maybe we are pursuing something first other than God.  Maybe we have stopped caring about others finding Jesus.  I don't know.  One thing is for sure, however, life has not been given to us to sleep through.

Grace and Peace,

Tom

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tested

"He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do." John 6:1-13 Test day. I remember all too well the feelings of discomfort connected to that expression from my school days. I was so thankful the last time I had to take one. Tests felt so much like a cruel game of, "Guess What I'm Thinking?" with the author of the test. During one particularly grueling test, I noticed one of my classmates cheating like there was no tomorrow. Predictably, he aced it and I let's just say, didn't. It occurred to me later that I was actually being tested in two different ways that day. By God's grace alone, I passed them both. Philip was in the hot seat that day. Jesus, out of the twelve disciples, decided to single him out for testing. From all appearances, there was a massive resource shortage. Five thousand men plus women and children all hungry up against whatever money Judas had in the money bag. Philip was apparently incredulous as he emphaticall
Read more

Nothing Left

"'What do you mean what's the matter?' Micah replied. 'You've taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!" Judges 17, 18 Unaware of some purchases that my wife had made earlier in the day, I didn't even hesitate to use my debit card at the checkout line. However, our bank was fully aware of all those purchases as well as the one I was attempting to make at the present moment. Clearly, the math didn't add up. Something from nothing is something less than nothing and that, as it turns, is frowned upon by our aforementioned bank. In short, the bank told the merchant there was nothing left and the merchant told me, "Declined." Micah was one panicked individual. His personal little self-directed and self-centered religion was coming apart at the seams. He had idols. He had priests. He had a shrine and even a sacred ephod (a priestly garment). All this, he thought, secured the LORD's blessing. When the warri
Read more

Who is Jesus?

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15, 16 NIV) What are your thoughts about Jesus? Every major religion on earth has an opinion on who he was. Mostly they say that he was a good man, a powerful teacher, and a peacemaker. All of that is true. But what about him being the Son of God? Peter, after being with Jesus non-stop for 4 years was confident of his identity. He was assured that Jesus was God in the flesh, the Messiah that was to come. You essentially have three options when it comes to what you believe about Jesus: 1) He was a Liar 2) He was a Lunatic (out of his mind) 3) Or that He was Lord If he was, and is, Lord, then he deserves our worship and our entire lives. If Jesus is Lord, it is true that we have access to God by His sacrifice on the cross. Join us Friday night at 7, as we reflect on Jesus going to the cross for the sins of the entire world (Good Frida
Read more