“So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5.6
July 14, 2023
Sleep can be a wonderful experience. It refreshes the body, gives the brain some time off, and makes it possible to be alert during waking hours. However, sleep can be a dangerous thing if you are supposed to be awake. If on sentry duty in the military, especially in a combat situation, to fall asleep could mean a firing squad. Paul uses the word sleep four times to describe spiritual indifference. Actually, it covers all sorts of moral and spiritual laxity or insensitivity. The words of Jesus to His disciples in Mark 13:36-37 come to mind, warning them of dangers which lurk in the shadows of our earthly pilgrimage. Are you and I staying alert to temptations that can ensnare us? We can be susceptible to values, opinions, and goals in life that are spiritually poisonous. We need to keep our minds biblically clear and focused on the commands of Jesus. The world distorts the meaning of love, tolerance, sex, marriage. When these foundational truths are corrupted and we go to asleep at the wheel there will be a heavy price to pay. The losses will reverberate throughout eternity.
H
“It came burning hot into my mind, whatever he said and however he flattered, when he got me to his house, he would sell me for a slave.” Bunyan
The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis