And do this, understanding the present
time: The hour has already 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. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in
carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in
dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ,
and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13:11-14)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities against the power of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you
may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to
stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth tucked around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up
the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of
prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying
for all of the Lord's people. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Some people wake up before
the alarm, or wake up early without an alarm. Others wake up with an alarm and
get moving. I know one person who at least used to put an obnoxious alarm clock
across the room, so she had to get out of bed to turn it off. I hear rumors of
some folks who hit the snooze button. I tend to wake up between 5:30 and 7 a.m.
without an alarm.
Some people like
to lounge in their PJs or other clothes they consider “comfy.” Some women would
wear flip-flops and go braless all day if they could. I can’t imagine. My mind
works too much on the “what if” level. I may not wear shoes all day, but when
shoes go on, I prefer them to be something that lets me walk or work. I tend to
think in terms of what I might step in or on without shoes that protect my feet
and ankles.
I can relate to what Paul is
saying in today’s passage. The time for spiritual dozing is over. It’s time to
wake up, take off that lounge around the house stuff that is designed for
nothing more than making us comfortable, and put on clothes that you can work
in. In fact, he tells us to put on clothes we can fight in. He may not
have had what he wrote to the Ephesians specifically in mind, but undoubtedly,
he had something like it in mind. In Ephesians, he told us to dress in truth,
righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the word of God. It’s not about
feeling good or looking good, but about doing good. Then he said to be alert –
or wake up! – and pray for one another.
Get up…. Get
ready…. Get going!
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