One can’t help but notice that we are in the very midst of an awakening. Although we had a very mild winter, nature had her winter rest and sleep, and now, “the hills are alive with the sound of music” (Hammerstein). It’s always fascinating to see how quickly the earth comes forth from dormancy. One day there’s a tiny blade of grass here and there, and then, a few buds on some trees, etc. Alice is a flower gardener, and we see spring happen quickly at our house because some things spring forth, then others and then others. Every bit of it comes forth with energy, ready for the growing season. God made this promise in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease” (NKJV). God arranged the order of the earth, He will always be in charge of it, and it will function at His will. Be thankful to Him for the beauty that now surrounds us.
The awakening that is more important is that of our souls coming to life for the glory of the Lord. Christians must not feel the need for Christian work only at this time of year, but they should feel the urgency of being about the Lord’s business with all our beings every day with which we are blessed. Too often, we seem to go into a deep sleep and can’t wake up. It’s just easier to stay relaxed and snooze than to arouse and energetically face the day, working for the Lord. The desire is to relax and to rest rather than to work and burn energy. Paul warned about such drowsiness in Romans 13:11, which reads, “…it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
Paul was not talking to the Roman brethren about physical sleep. He addressed their lack of work in the Lord’s service. He warned them that the end of their days was drawing closer all the time and that they needed to be working in order to ensure their salvation as the judgment was drawing nearer. This is true for every one of us. Each day takes us closer to the end of our physical lives and brings us closer to our eternal destiny. We have just so much time in this physical body, and we need to use it to the best of our ability for the Lord while we have the opportunity.
Paul admonished in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…” the end will come for all mankind. The end will happen fast! Jesus Himself taught this lesson. “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. …Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:42, 44). Christians must not lapse into sleep (lack of effort) and fail to be about the Lord’s business. One must not believe that professing to be the Lord’s servant and bearing the name “Christian” will accomplish eternal salvation. A Christian must be actively awake and working in this life to enjoy eternity in Heaven instead of in Hell.
We read more of Paul’s wisdom as he penned, “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34). His admonition is that Christians wake up and go about the business of teaching others who don’t know God. He said it was shameful that others were not being taught. If that was the case then, what excuse can we possibly have now for not teaching others the truth? I submit to you that there won’t be any acceptable excuse for any of us who don’t work at teaching the Gospel. We can’t sleep right through life and receive the reward of the just. The apostle Paul admonished, also applicable today, “…Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14). Wake up to energetically perform your Christian work, and Christ will be with you. He will give you strength!
Works Cited
Hammerstein, Oscar and Richard Rodgers. “The Hills Are Alive.” Sung by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, 1965.
