Wake Up!

"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."
 Romans 13:11&12

Clearly it is time for the church of Christ to wake up. I am not one to discredit the church or call it out as apostate, but I do believe that you and I must awaken our spirits to the things that God is doing today. The scripture above begins by saying, "And do this..." What the apostle Paul is talking about here is love. He had just finished saying that love is the fulfillment of the law. So we are to wake up to the fact that love is the greatest thing we have as Christians. 
    The church has been accused of being asleep to the things that God wants to do. Maybe we have been, and maybe some still are. But for those of us who are living our lives to grow in knowledge and relationship with Jesus, the idea of waking up is somewhat different. It is a call for us to intensify our seeking of God and his kingdom. It is a call for us to love more than we ever have before. As we approach the day of his return, everything becomes more intense. Every move we make, every word we say takes on more significance. It's as if time is compressing. Paul uses the analogy of darkness and light. The night is almost over, it is time to get up and get the day started. This is true because the return of Christ and the establishing of his earthly kingdom is nearer now than ever before.
    Sometimes I wake up before it is time to actually rise. Often it is within an hour of the time appointed for me to get up and get ready for the day. When this happens, it is very difficult, even impossible to go back to sleep. Why? Because the day is almost here. The same is true of the times in which we live. All the things we hope for as Christians, all the things we anticipate are closer now. The church is strengthening. The enemy is flailing. The kingdom of God is being established. How can we sleep through all this? We are being awakened by God himself. He is calling to us to wake up and get ready for his coming. 
    A bride prepares all day for her wedding ceremony and feast. We are the bride of Christ and the wedding supper of the Lamb is coming. It is preparation time and there is no time for sleep. Let's make a decision to love God's people and those who are yet to be saved. Let's make it our goal to seek God and his kingdom more than we ever have. We must devote time to this. Spending time with God is a blessing, let's make it a priority. Being told to wake up is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a great and hopeful thing. It means a new day is dawning. The night is nearly over.