ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING, OR HAVE YOU BEEN AWAKENED?

SCRIPTURE:
“Therefore keep watch because you do now know when the owner of 
the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or 
when the rooster crows, or at dawn.  If he comes suddenly, do not let 
him find you sleeping.”  
(Mark 13:35-36)

MEDITATION:
There was a time when people could leave their doors unlocked 
and still get a good night’s sleep.
They did not live in fear of thieves robbing them or thugs harming them.
It may have not been the best idea to leave them unlocked, but the people felt 
comfortable enough that they would never expect an intruder during the night.

Being in a “comfort zone” can be relaxing and enjoyable, 
but may not always lead to making good decisions.
Today of course, we are not living in the same environment 
and consequently we lock our doors at night and install alarms 
to alert us if someone suddenly breaks into our homes.

The scriptures also warn us about being too comfortable in our lifestyle.
When the scriptures tell us to ‘not let him find you sleeping’, we are 
being told that we should not become insensitive to the sin in our own lives.

We can find many who are ready to tell us when the Lord will return 
and how everything will transpire during the ‘end times’.
However, if God chose not to tell His own Son when He should return, He
certainly is not going to give anyone else an insight of when He will return.

Jesus gave us some things to observe that indicate His return is nearer, 
but He did not give us any specific timetable.
In other words, when we see the things happening that He shared with us, we have 
no idea if that means Jesus will return in the next few years, decades, or centuries.
The important thing for each of us is to never think that we
can live as sinful as we like until we think He might return.

When someone dies suddenly, then in essence He has returned for that person.
We should live our lives as if will He come in the evening, during the night while 
we are asleep, or early in the morning; 
whenever He returns we should be living as if he has already returned.
 
Evangelist Dwight L. Moody used to say, 
“I never preached a sermon without thinking 
that possibility the Lord may come before I preach another.”
 
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, the distinguished British clergy-man, said, 
“I never begin my work in the morning 
without thinking that perhaps He may interrupt my work and begin His own. 
I am not looking for death. I am looking for Him.” 

That is the way a Christian should live his life – in the 
constant anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ! 
If we could live every day as though it may be the very last one 
before the final judgment, what a difference it would make here on earth!

But we don’t like to think that way. 
We don’t like to think that our carefully made plans, and
our long range schemes may be interrupted by the trumpet of God. 
Too many people would rather say, 
“Oh, well, the end of the world hasn’t come yet, 
so why think about it – it’s probably a thousand years away.”

ACTION:
What changes should you make to be prepared for His return?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You have promised that one day Your Son will return 
to take all believers home to live with You forever. Help me to live my life 
daily in anticipation of the return of Jesus. Don’t let me become complacent 
and allow the world to have a greater influence on me that You do. Show me 
the changes I need to make in my life and priorities to live more righteously, 
so that I can participate in Your earthly ministry of pointing others to You. 
Remind me that those who do not know You are observing me to determine 
if my faith is sincere, and if my actions confirm my beliefs.”