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Wake Up!

 

The Bible can definitely capture a wide range of our emotions as we read. Sometimes, that emotion is more of a convicting “sting” that suddenly stops me to think much deeper. In fact, I had to literally stop reading and forego the rest of the passage to do study and research on the particular verse that struck me so powerfully.

One such verse came from a daily devotional reading that referenced a particular Scripture verse. It was Revelation 3:2, “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” This strong message to the Church in Sardis got my attention.

 After just a short study, I realized how this connected to other warnings to keep alert. Hebrews 3:12, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.” Then also, the warning of 1 Corinthians 10:12, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”

The world and all its troubles can sure be quite the snare to trap us into a state of spiritual drowsiness. The world also works to fill our lives with many commitments that will crowd out the time we need to grow in our faith and to love and serve others.

The mixed messages from the secular, evil world can sometimes influence us to change our beliefs or possibly question them. Paul had the exact same concern for the Galatian church. Galatians 1:6-7, “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.”

I will be honest, and yes, it is just my opinion, but I feel we are historically at a point to realize that there is too much “world” in the Church and not enough Church in the world. We are losing our voice in our communities. We are remaining silent when things that matter are being challenged and persecuted.

By staying silent we send a powerful message to the world that we are irrelevant and that we really don’t care. That should never be the case! We have the words of Truth people need to hear. That Truth is Jesus Christ and His love to save us from our sins.

Our faith does not have a “light switch” that we can turn on when convenient and turn off when it is overly convicting, confronting, or challenging to us. We, by no means, should kick ourselves into neutral and coast through life. We must stay in gear and engaged. 

That’s what makes Revelation 3:2 so powerful. The word “wake up” actually means “to watch” or “to be alert.” In other words, don’t fall asleep at the switch. Sleepy and distracted to the point of not even being able to notice or realize the enemy is at our door ready to trap, exploit, and destroy.

The city of Sardis was heavily fortified amongst the natural rugged and mountainous terrain to the point of almost being unbeatable. Yet, complacency, neglect, sleepiness and not watching carefully, the city was sacked not only once, but twice. 

Why? The Watchmen on the city walls and gates had grown complacent in their duties and did not see or notice the enemies scaling the cliffs and walls surrounding the city. They figured they were so safe “up in the mountains” that nobody could possible “get to them.” Well, they did! Twice! They experienced total destruction due to the deadly combination of complacency and not being watchful. 

The command is to “wake up!” The good news is that the situation is not completely hopeless. It is a matter of taking advantage of the time that we have, today, to make the most of the opportunities at hand before it is too late. 

The call is still valid for us today! Wake up! Take advantage of the time you are gifted with today! Not tomorrow…next week….next month, but now! I was deeply troubled by how many wonderful ministries remained silent during the COVID pandemic. Christians deciding to “wait until next year”….and then the next year came and deciding again, “we better wait another year.” The time is now, not next year. We must stop wasting time. 

The call is to “wake up…and strengthen what remains.” Let us not neglect our mission. Let us not rest on our laurels and get complacent. Let us not “ignore the calendar” and live at a much slower pace, delay our obligations as if we have plenty of time. 

Most importantly, we must make absolutely sure everything is for God’s glory and not for our own bragging rights or just to look good and “alive” to others. Seeking accolades and to be admired in the community is not our mission. Everything we do must be done for God alone! So, let us “wake up” and remain alert and watchful for today’s mission!

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