"It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." Romans 13:11-12
This is now the third time this verse has come up in my life this week and so I wanted to dwell on it for a moment. Do you ever feel like you're sleep walking your way through the Christian life? Or do you feel trapped in a coma of laziness or indifference? Does the thought of the Lord returning seem like a distant promise? Last Sunday, the pastor I heard in church spoke on Christ's return and gave several examples of the "signs of the times" to show us that His return is imminent. I left feeling convicted. I can think of more than a few areas of my life that would be very different if I knew Christ was returning tomorrow? Why then do I not live each day with that same sense of urgency - as if today was the day Christ was coming back for me? What do I want to be found doing when He returns? How many souls will go to heaven with me because I shared the gospel with them? Paul urges us to "wake up" for the "day is at hand." Do you believe that - I mean really believe that? How would your life, priorities, time, etc. change?
He also implores us to "cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Darkness and light cannot dwell together. If we have sin in our lives, God's light is not on display. Conversely, if God's light is on display in our lives, we will not be living in sin and darkness. We have a responsibility here to "cast off" sin - the stuff that distracts us from God, keeps us bound in guilt and shame so that we are not reconciled to God, harmful habits that are difficult to break, relationships that discourage living in the light, and even small things like neglecting Him for more sleep. And in case you didn't catch the seriousness in Paul's tone, he tells us to put on the "armor" of light. Do not be deceived - we are in a battle. (See the last half of Ephesians 6 for a more detailed list of our spiritual armor.)
So, I'm beginning to realize most of my blogs are quite serious but I realize that we are living in the last days and that Christians all around the world - myself included - need to "wake up" in our faith and love for God and His Word. That same pastor on Sunday said that one of the "signs of the times" is that there will be a famine in our land - a famine of God's Word. Women, we need to be in God's Word daily so that we can give it out to hungry hearts! There are starving souls all around us. God, please wake us up!
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1 comment:
I don't mind that your posts are serious. There's a time and place for light-heartedness, but too many of us (me included!) are in need of more moments like this one when I read this post - I needed a call to wake up & be reminded how fleeting this time on earth is. I was recently convicted that I needed to be more consistent about praying on the armor in Ephesians (one of my goals this year is to pray it every day, but I'd been missing a few days and starting to slack off), but after reading this, I was reminded of other areas that need spiritual boot camp, as well. Thank you for encouraging us to be battle ready:) Love you, friend!
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