Romans 13:11-14 (NRSV)
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Verse 11Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; Verse 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; Verse 13let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Verse 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Devotion
Some of us are not morning people. The alarm goes off and we would love to roll over and catch a few more winks rather than heed the call to wake up.
In Romans 13, the apostle Paul calls us to wake up. Paul had a strong awareness that life is brief and an eager anticipation that Christ was returning soon. Our tendency is often to think and feel the opposite, especially when we are young and feeling eternal. The coming of Jesus, well, that must be something many millennia from now! As a result we tend to roll over, so to speak, and go back to sleep.
We may not like it, but we need this call to wake up. The world and our own attitudes tend to lull us to sleep. God’s Word calls us to wake up and begin to live more fully the life we find in Jesus.
Prayer
God, keep calling to me to wake up. There is so much to experience, to appreciate and to do if I live more fully in your Kingdom. There is a whole universe of love to know and share through faith in Jesus and a way of living that leads to great fulfillment. Wake me up, Lord.