ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING, OR HAVE YOU BEEN AWAKENED?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“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 didn’t live in fear of thieves robbing
them, or thugs harming them. It may not have been the best idea to
leave the doors unlocked, but people felt safe and comfortable, and
they would never expect an intruder during the night.

Being in a ‘comfort zone’ can be relaxing and enjoyable, but may cause
us to miss out on making some important decisions. Of course, in our
world today, we are living in a different environment – one that is filled
with a lot of violence, and crimes of unimaginable extremes. So, we lock
our doors at night and install alarms to alert us if someone chooses to
break into our homes during the night.

The bible warns us about being too comfortable in our lifestyle. When
the scriptures tell us, ‘not to let him find you sleeping’, we are being told
that we should not become insensitive to sin in our own lives. When we
are chained to some ‘pet’ sin, we can’t sense the ‘wrongness’ of it will
often justify it as being permissible.

There are a growing number of people who speculate (and some predict)
when the Lord will return and what we can expect to see happen during
the ‘end times’. However, if God chose to not tell His own Son when He
would be sent to gather His followers and pass judgement on mankind,
then He isn’t 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 didn’t 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 He will return in the next few hours, years, decades, or centuries.

The important thing for each of us is, we should never think we can live as
sinful as we would like until we ‘think’ He might return. The Christian life
should be lived with a constant anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ!
Imagine what an impact it would have on the world, if we all lived every
day as though it may be the very last one before the final judgment!

When someone dies suddenly, in essence Jesus has returned for that
person. We should live our lives as if Jesus will come in the evening,
during the night while we are asleep, or early in the morning; when
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, a distinguished British clergyman, said,
    “I never begin my work in the morning without thinking
      that perhaps the Lord may interrupt my work and begin
      His own. I am not looking for death. I am looking for Him.”

But many of us don’t live with those kinds of thoughts. We don’t like
to think that way. We don’t like to think that our carefully established
plans, and our long-range strategies might be interrupted by the sound
of the trumpet from God. Some live with the attitude of…
    “Oh, well, the end of the world hasn’t come yet, so why
       think about it – it’s probably a thousand years away.”

ACTION:
Questions to ask ourselves:
    – Have I become desensitized to the sin in my life?
    – Are there any sins that feel comfortable to me?
    – Do I find myself justifying certain sins,
       rather than being convicted they are wrong?
    – What changes should I make to be prepared for the Lord’s 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 daily life 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 the priorities I should
have to live more righteously. Reveal to me the spiritual gift
You have given me, and teach me how to use it as an active
member of Your earthly ministry team that points others to
Jesus. Remind me that those who don’t belong to You, are
watching me to see if my faith is sincere, and if my actions
confirm my beliefs. Make me aware that my lifestyle can
serve as my testimony which may lead someone to Jesus.”

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