To Encourage You

1 Thessalonians 5:6 “Let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

According to the Bible, some people are asleep – spiritually, that is, and that’s not a good condition to be in.  There’s lots going on all around them, but they’re not aware of it. They are missing out on what others are experiencing, and the things they are missing are critical to their very lives. 

Right now, all over the world, people are in training. They are learning about the spiritual dangers that lurk all around them, things that could cause them to “crash and burn” if they weren’t aware of it. They are learning about the future and because of what they are learning, they are busy getting ready for what’s to come.  They know that one day soon they will personally meet the Creator of the universe. They are aware of what He expects of them, and they are busy about that work.  They know that when they meet Him, they will be required to give an answer for the life they’ve lived.  They know they will be examined on the basis of whether they were about their Heavenly Father’s business. Because they are awake, they know exactly what that business is.  They are aware of God’s presence in their lives, for He has told them that He is always with them. Therefore, they aren’t living as if He isn’t there, although they can’t see Him with their physical eyes.  They know that there are people that God has gifted to preach and teach, and because they know this, they are availing themselves of the many opportunities they have been given to have God’s Word more fully explained. They are busy searching the Scriptures themselves, and because of this, they are ever more aware of the opportunities God is giving them. Because they are awake, they are doing all they can to make the most of those opportunities, and they know they will be blessed for all eternity because they have done so.  They are living a life of anticipation. They know that their Lord has gone to prepare a place for them, so that they can be with Him there forever, and they know He’s coming for them someday very soon (John 14). The Bible likens it to a bride waiting for her groom (Revelation 19:7) or a servant waiting for his or her Master (Luke 12:36-48). 

But then, there are those who are asleep. They live and act as if all those things mentioned above don’t even exist. They are busy in life, but about all the wrong things. They are missing the mark, because they are completely unaware of what the mark is.  They don’t see it because their eyes are closed to it. They are lost, but because they are asleep, they have no awareness of their condition.  They are living as if what they can see with their physical eyes is all that there is, but because their spiritual eyes are closed, they don’t have any awareness of the fact that what is unseen is so much more important and critical to them than anything with which they’ve ever been involved during their entire lives. It is to these that God is calling, perhaps through something they’ve read, someone they’ve spoken to, or some other way.  He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20) – but unless they wake up, hear that knock, open the door, and let Him come in, they’ll miss out on the indescribably wonderful blessings He has for them.  In so many words He is saying “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14). 

So, what about you?  Are you asleep or awake?  If you’re awake, then stay watchful, alert, sober-minded.  “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). But if you’re asleep “the hour has come for you to wake from sleep . . .The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then (it’s time to) cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11-12). That armor is the protection against wasting your life because you’ve been asleep all along.  It’s time to wake up to the reality that Jesus, the Light of the World, is ready and waiting to shine on you, if you will only believe.