"Wake UP!"

Wake Up!
Scripture Reading — Romans 13:8-14
Do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake from your slumber. . . .

Romans 13:11

Do you all tend to get a little grouchy when you don’t get enough sleep, when you’re sleep deprived? I know that to be the case with some people. So why does it seems as though Paul is urging us to sleep less and not more?

Paul isn’t talking about restful slumber here. He’s talking about getting drowsy in our spiritual lives. After reminding us that love should be at the center of our hearts, Paul urges us to wake up from our spiritual sleepiness/slumber.

He urges us on to live with the commitment and vitality that we had when we first became believers in Jesus. Although we may not be guilty of the sins Paul lists in this passage, we may well need to be reminded about treating our neighbors with love.

Because it’s in our attitudes and actions, we have the propensity to treat the people around us—including those whom we love most—with less love than Jesus commands and what we may feel like they deserve. I’m sure, no matter how long you’ve been a Christian, you could use a daily reminder to wake up from your

spiritual slumber, to love and obey God and to love and serve the people around you with the unfailing, reckless and selfless love that God has shown us in Jesus.

Lord Jesus, wake us from our spiritual slumber to love you and others with the love you have shown to us.