Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. Isaiah 52:1
Rise and Shine!
Wake-up calls aren’t always pleasant, but they are necessary. The sound of the early morning alarm can be a shock to your system when you’re sleeping peacefully. However, it’s even more unpleasant when you miss the alarm and realize you’re late. You missed your flight, or you’re late for work.
God gives plenty of wake-up calls in the Bible. They may not sound pleasant, but they are necessary. God seeks to wake us up from indifference or ignorance concerning the problem of sin. We can’t just sleep it off and think it will go away. Missing these wake-up calls would be eternally devastating. We must be woken up to our greatest need that only God can meet.
Other times, waking up can bring relief. When you wake from a nightmare, you are relieved. When a child is troubled in the middle of the night and afraid of the dark, what a relief when morning comes and they see the sun. Once we shake off the sleep and see the bright new day, we face that day with excitement.
This is the goal of God’s wake-up calls. He seeks to wake us up not only so we can see the reality of sin, but ultimately so we can see his forgiveness and the new life he gives. Today’s Bible verse from Isaiah is not the thunderous voice of an angry God. It’s the voice of the compassionate Father calling his children to wake up to a bright new day. He has come to set people free and rescue them from the bondage of sin and death. He has come to give new and eternal life.
The Lord awakens souls from spiritual slumber by his powerful word so they can rise and shine. He scatters the darkness and sets sinners free from guilt. He clothes his children in the clean garments of his Son’s perfection. He covers them with his gracious and compassionate love through his Son, Jesus Christ, so they can face this day and this life with the greatest confidence. Rise and shine each day to the voice and promises of the compassionate Father!
Prayer:
Lord, as I hear your Word, keep me awake and alert to your compassion so that I may rise and shine for you. Amen.
Let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6
A Cure For Your Sleepiness
Have you ever heard about a condition called sleep apnea? If you or a family member has this condition, you already know all about it. Here’s a quick description for the rest of us: A major symptom of sleep apnea is chronic sleepiness. You tend to feel sluggish and fatigued all the time, even when you’ve had plenty of sleep. And if you happen to sit down to watch a movie, attend a meeting, or even drive a car, chances are good that you will begin to doze off.
The cause of sleep apnea is that body is not taking in enough oxygen while you sleep. The solution is more oxygen. Doctors prescribe a device that helps you take in more air during your sleeping hours. The results are dramatic. When sufferers of sleep apnea finally get the help they need, it’s not uncommon for them to say, “Only now do I realize how terribly sleepy I had been.”
Christian, here’s a question: Are you suffering from spiritual sleep apnea? Have you gotten so sleepy in your walk with your Lord that your soul has trouble staying alert? Has your spirit gotten so sluggish that you end up drifting towards things that aren’t truly important?
The solution is the kind of oxygen that only Jesus Christ can bring. In repentance, when we breathe deeply of his gospel, his forgiveness purchased at the cross, then our sleepiness will end. Our drowsiness will stop. And our eyes of faith, clear and bright, will once again see the things that are truly important in our lives.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me spiritual life through your Son. Forgive my spiritual drowsiness. By your gospel fill me with your Spirit. Make my eyes of faith clear and bright. Amen.
[Jesus said] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8
The Pure in Heart
There is an important truth that Jesus brings to mind in this Bible verse. We can’t fool God. There is no covering for false notions or hidden deception. God looks right through the outward evidence and inspects the inner motivation. He is looking for the pure in heart.
What is the measure for the kind of purity that Jesus talks about? The Bible doesn’t tell us to compare ourselves to others. It holds us up to God’s perfect and holy Law and measures us against it. If all we had to do were to come out looking better than someone else, then there are plenty of “evil people” in the world to make our sins look smaller than they are. But in the light of God’s holy will, our hearts have never been pure. From the moment of our conception, we have been stained with sin. Only God can produce inner purity within us. It is for that reason that we pray with David: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
In Jesus, God answers our prayer. Jesus had a perfectly pure heart. And he gives that pure heart to us as a gift. Through faith in Jesus, God sees us as if we had a pure heart. It’s why all of the followers of Jesus are, as he said, blessed.
And now, his Holy Spirit works in our hearts to make them as pure as God sees them. The night before his death, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). This sanctification is God’s work in our hearts to make us more and more like him.
Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. The more we listen to his voice in his Word, the better we “see” him. And, one day, when we enter the heaven he won for us, we will literally see him face to face. What a day it will be!
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, purify my heart and fill me with the confident hope that when I die I will be glad to see God. Amen.
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1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not just to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for the good purpose of building him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who are insulting you fell on me.” [1]
4 Indeed, whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that, through patient endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we would have hope. 5 And may God, the source of patient endurance and encouragement, grant that you agree with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one mind, in one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 For this reason, accept one another as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God. 8 For I am saying that Christ became a servant of those who are circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs. 9 He also did this so that the Gentiles would glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
For this reason I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing to your name. [2]
10 And again it says:
Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people. [3]
11 And again:
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples give him praise. [4]
12 And again Isaiah says: There will be a Root of Jesse, and he is the one who will rise up to rule the Gentiles; on him the Gentiles will place their hope. [5]
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Strong and Weak Christians Both Belong to the Lord
1 Accept a person who is weak in faith, and do not pass judgment on things that are just a difference of opinion. 2 One person believes it is right to eat anything. Another person who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything should not look down on the person who does not do so, and the one who does not eat everything should not judge the person who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? It is up to his master to decide whether that servant stands or falls. And he will stand, because God [1] is able to make him stand.
5 One person values one day above another. Another person values every day the same. Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The person who honors a certain day does this for the Lord, and the person who eats does this for the Lord, because he gives thanks to God. And the person who does not eat does this for the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 In fact, not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. 8 Indeed, if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this reason he died, rose, [2] and lived, to be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Do Not Cause a Weak Christian to Stumble in Faith
10 But you, why do you pass judgment on your brother? And you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s [3] judgment seat. 11 Indeed, it is written:
As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will acknowledge God. [4]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, resolve never to put an obstacle or a snare in the path of your brother. 14 I know, and I am convinced in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it becomes unclean for the one who considers it to be unclean. 15 For example, if your brother is offended because of the food you eat, you are no longer walking in line with love. Do not destroy that person for whom Christ died by the food you eat! 16 So do not give others a reason to speak evil about what you consider good.
17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Certainly a person who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and has the approval of people. 19 Consequently, let us pursue those things that lead to peace and building up one another.
20 Do not tear down God’s work for the sake of food. Everything is pure, but it is wrong for a person to eat if it causes anyone to stumble. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything if it causes your brother to stumble.
22 Keep the conviction that you have in these matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because it does not proceed from faith. [5] Everything that does not proceed from faith [6] is sin.
Footnotes
Romans 14:4 Some witnesses to the text read the Lord.
Romans 14:9 Some witnesses to the text omit rose.
Romans 14:10 Some witnesses to the text read Christ’s.
1 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God. 2 Therefore the one who rebels against the authority is opposing God’s institution, and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to evil. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from him, 4 because he is God’s servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because he does not carry the sword without reason. He is God’s servant, a punisher to bring wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
6 For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s ministers, who are employed to do this very thing. 7 Pay what you owe to all of them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed.
Love One Another
8 Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, [1] do not covet [2] (and if there is any other commandment)—are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [3]10 Love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law.
The End of the World Is Approaching
11 And do this since you understand the present time. It is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is drawing near. So let us put away the deeds of darkness and put on the weapons of light. 13 Let us walk decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual sin and wild living, not in strife and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not give any thought to satisfying the desires of your sinful flesh.
Footnotes
Romans 13:9 Some witnesses to the text add do not give false testimony.
1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, [1] by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. 2 Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.
Humbly Use the Gifts God Gave You
3 So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. 4 For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. 5 In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. [2]7 If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. 8 If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.
Guidelines for Christian Living
9 Do not just pretend to love others. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love. Think of others as deserving more honor than yourselves. 11 Do not be lagging behind in zeal, but be fervent in spirit, as you continue to serve the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope. Endure trials patiently. Persist in prayer. 13 Share with the saints who are in need. Be quick to welcome strangers as guests.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who are rejoicing; weep with those who are weeping. 16 Have the same respect for one another. Do not be arrogant, but associate with the humble. Do not think too highly of yourselves.
17 Do not pay anyone back evil for evil. Focus on those things that everyone considers noble. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, maintain peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” [3] says the Lord. 20 But:
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. [4]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Footnotes
Romans 12:1 When context indicates it, the Greek word for brothers may refer to all fellow believers, male and female.
25 For I do not want you to be uninformed about this mystery, brothers, so that you are not conceited in your opinion of yourselves. There has been a hardening of part of Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. [1]
The Paradox of How God Shows Mercy
28 In regard to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But, in regard to election, they are especially dear for the sake of the patriarchs, 29 because God’s gracious gifts and call are not regretted. 30 For just as you were once disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy due to their disobedience, 31 so also now they have become disobedient, so that by the mercy shown to you they may be shown mercy too. 32 For God imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how untraceable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his adviser?” [2] 35 “Or who has first given to God that he will be repaid?” [3] 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
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