“For this reason it says, “Awake sleeper, Arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:14-17
My Associate Pastor was sitting in my office this morning and sharing with me the above verses. This was incredible since he had suffered a heart attack and undergone surgery 6 days ago. God is so amazing.
Something in this verse resonated with my spirit. “Wake up, this is a wake up call!” I know from talking with Andy this morning that this was a wake up call for him. But what about the rest of us. We all talk about our need for and intentions to exercise and eat better.
This verse tell us to “Wake up and get up!” May of us are spiritually asleep or rather sleep walking. We look like we are awake but we are not conscious of our surroundings. We are going through the motions of spirituality but not the conscious reality. Kind of like driving a car with our eyes closed. Like the need to be alert and drive with our eyes peeled, we need to walk as wise people, making the most of every opportunity that our day brings.
There is a warning to be wise and diligent because the days are evil. Again, the dangers of driving in traffic with our eyes closed. As a Christian, we could not conceivably navigate life without God Word, prayer, fellowship, or the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to be bathed in these things every day.
It also tells us that if we do not know the will of God, we will be foolish or unwise. This is like being in a car driving with your eyes closed and having no clue why you are there, where you are going or even how to drive the car in the first place. This will get you killed. And believe me the streets of our world are littered with spiritual casualties – people who fell asleep at the wheel. If by chance you survive a crash, you won’t be able to pass off any excuses like, “It’s not my fault, the drive was boring or too long.” or “It’s not my fault I have a license.” or “It’s my father’s fault, he drives like this.” Seriously it goes more like this, “I was abused.”; “She hurt me.”; “He left me.”; “I didn’t like the way my Pastor did that.” Of course the list could go on. Just put yours excuse in the blank, “_________________________”
Let’s not become the next statistic. We’ve been given the mind of Christ. Let’s exercise the wisdom made available to us.
God is speaking to His Church to WAKE UP and GET UP!!!!!
