"Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed."(Romans 13:11 ESV)
Does anyone like alarm clocks? They are neccessary, but I don't like them. I have a routine I go through regularly. Just before going to bed I set my alarm. Usually, I have aspirations of waking up at 5 a.m. and spending 1 1/2 hours in prayer. Then I will wake the family at 6:30 and everyone will cheerfully get out of bed ready to go to school, do chores, and practically anything I ask of them. Harps will play in the background, children will float to the car to attend their learning institution. You know what happens though. Perhaps you can relate to what I am saying. The alarm goes off at 5 and I hit the snooze button. Then for the next 1 1/2 hours I hit the snooze button. At 6:30 I jump out of bed and begin to yell at kids to wake up. We scramble to get dressed, get backpacks, lunch boxes, eat breakfast and sprint out the door. Why do companies manufacture a device to wake people up and then on that device put a button to allow you to go to sleep again? This is one of those things in life I just don't get! Snooze buttons!
Have we hit the snooze button spiritually? Are we sleeping spiritually as we go through life? I am afraid many of us are. God told me I was. I am guilty of going through daily life focused on things that are not eternally significant. The world and the enemy have lulled many of us to sleep. God will send alarm clocks to rouse us, but often we hit the snooze button.
I want to be an alarm clock to this generation. I want all of us to wake up to the spiritual state that the people of the world are in. Many of our neighbors need someone to love them enough to speak truth into their lives. There are millions all over the world who do not know Jesus or that he came to redeem them. Are we asleep to the 250,000 that die each week in South Asia alone? Are we asleep to the 3 billion people in the world who live in utter poverty? They live on less than $2 per day! You may read this and respond one of two ways. "I can't do anything about that."(SNOOZE BUTTON) or "How can I get involved?" (waking up)
Are you asleep to your potential to make a difference? You are created in the image of God, His Holy Spirit lives in you, you have His word to guide you as you get involved. You can make an eternal difference. Don't let the world lull you to sleep. Get involved in your community, take a step of faith and reach out to someone who is hurting. It may be hard or intimidating, but Romans 8 tells us that we are "more than conquerers." You have gifts, skills, and passions for a reason.
In Psalm 78:9-10 we read that there was a group of archers who turned back in the day of battle. This may be your day of battle. Will you turn back? Think how foolish they must have felt. They were fighting men. They had been trained and equipped with bows and arrows. Yet they hit the snooze button on their responsibility; on their purpose. What a shame. My prayer for us is that in 150 years people will not look back at our time in history and say "they turned back from the battle." Are you awake? Don't hit snooze! Don't turn back! Hebrews 10:39
