Are You Awake?
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- Romans 13:11
2 Corinthians 3:12 says, "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." Do you want to play a bold part in reaching the nation with the gospel? Find out how.
Have you ever had someone call you very late at night or very early in the morning? You answer the phone, and the voice on the other end says, "Did I wake you?"
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What do we always say? "No."
Why are we so reluctant to admit we were sleeping? Why do we always want to deny it?
The apostle Paul wrote, "Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living" (Romans 13:11–12).
The J. B. Phillips paraphrase states it this way: "Why all this stress on behavior? Because, as I think you have realized, the present time is of the highest importance-it is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God's salvation nearer. The night is nearly over, the day has almost dawned. Let us therefore fling away the things that men do in the dark, let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day!"
"The present time" this verse is referring to is the Lord's return. Paul wasn't addressing his words to nonbelievers; he was addressing Christians. He was addressing his remarks to genuine believers whose spiritual lethargy and laziness made them appear and act as though they had no spiritual lives.
We, too, can get a little lazy and a little lethargic. Maybe we have been taking in the Word of God without an outlet for what God is teaching us in our lives, and as a result, we are actually falling asleep in the light. We are resting on our laurels and living in our past. We need to wake up. The coming of the Lord is near.
