Spiritual snooze button: 'God can wait!'
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame recently learned that 6 in 10 people habitually hit the snooze button each morning. A majority of people apparently long for just “five more minutes!” The leader of the study stated, “So many people are snoozing because so many people are chronically tired.”
But have you ever wondered why some people essentially do the same thing with God? An alarm goes off in their life or in their heart, giving them the distinct sense that God is trying to get their attention. So, what do they do? They hit the snooze button. “God can wait,” they assume. “I have other more pressing issues right now.”
If that describes your perspective, may I remind you that God created you and he loves you? And you will most certainly stand before him on Judgment Day to give an account of your life. The day is approaching when you will be forced to get out of bed. There is simply no getting around it. And the sooner you wake up and address your deepest need, the better.
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“Wait a minute Dan,” you say. “Who are you to claim that you know my deepest need?” It is a fair question. I am just one of the millions of believers who know the truth about Jesus Christ. We are not any better than you, and we did not deserve to receive God’s grace. Nevertheless, you too need to wake up and realize that a relationship with Christ is what you were created to experience. If you were in my shoes, I would hope that you would share the same message for me.
I am not suggesting that if you repent of your sins and trust Christ alone for salvation you will become a perfect person. But you will begin to follow the only One who is always perfect in every way. And you will experience true peace as a result of having a relationship with Christ through faith. You will have “peace with God,” (Romans 5:1) and a genuine desire to live at peace with others.
For example, the Apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Rome: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). What transformed a former persecutor of Christians into an ambassador for peace? Only one thing has that kind of power, and it is the grace of God.
When you become a follower of Christ, your life changes in many ways. Your attitudes change. Your behavior changes. And you begin to live with an entirely new outlook.
As former U.S. Army Master Sergeant Russell Gehrlein beautifully explained: “My Christian faith has impacted every single area of my life: my family, career, what I do, what I think, what I say, where I’ve been, and where I am going. Christianity was not just a religion I had joined. It was a new relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that definitely has gotten richer over time. I began to truly know God. In knowing Him, He continued to transform me into the image of His Son, Jesus. Even after four and a half decades, I am still growing in my faith.”
The Holy Spirit was sent into the world to wake us up to the reality of our sins and our need for salvation. Jesus said: “When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment; in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:8-11).
If it was not for the Holy Spirit, none of us would ever understand the good news of the Gospel. The message of salvation only benefits those who accept it by faith. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16).
What about you? Are you still asleep and oblivious to your sin and your Savior? If so, then allow this declaration in God’s Word to sink deep into your heart: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14).
That is to say, turn away from your sins and trust Jesus to wash them away. Repent and get real with God. And believe that the Messiah suffered and died on the cross in order for you to go free and be declared “Not Guilty” in God’s sight.
Every immortal soul will remain wide awake throughout eternity. Everyone in Heaven and Hell will experience extreme conditions forever and ever. One destination is far more majestic than we can even imagine, while the other destination is far more horrific than we can possibly fathom.
Therefore, you would be wise to immediately wake up and get out of bed. It’s your call. It’s your life. It’s your immortal soul. And it’s your eternal existence that hangs in the balance.
Do you hear your alarm going off? Or are you determined to keep hitting the snooze button up until the moment you stand before Christ on Judgment Day? On that day, it will be too late to get right with God.
So, what do you say? Will you visit Jesus right now and become one of his followers? Simply confess your sins to the Lord and receive his free gift of everlasting life in Heaven. If you surrender your heart, soul, and mind to the Savior, you will be so glad you did!
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
