Unlimited: Wake Up

Sep 15, 2023 667

The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber (Romans 13:11b)

This verse should remind us of the word of the Lord written to Judah by the prophet Isaiah, when he said,

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you (Isa 60:1).

Jesus taught a lot about sleep and the need to be awake, because he knew how easy it would be for his followers to become lethargic and apathetic with regard to their spiritual lives. This was illustrated figuratively in the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1–3) and literally by what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night that Jesus was betrayed.

Jesus taught a lot about the need to be awake, because he knew how easy it would be for his followers to become lethargic with regard to their spiritual lives.

Jesus had gone with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, and he had taken Peter, James, and John further on to pray. He knew the momentous events that were to occur that night and the following day, and he wanted the support of his three closest disciples as he prayed for strength. He asked them to pray, and went on a little further himself to pray alone.

Three times, Jesus returned to see his disciples, and three times he found them sleeping. On the last occasion he found them sleeping again, and said to them,

Look, the hour has come… Rise! Let us go! (Matt. 26:45–46.)

Spiritual Application

There are many Christians who are deeply asleep in a spiritual sense. Take some time to pray over the issue of whether Jesus is saying, “Rise! Let us go!” to you.

– Eliezer Gonzalez

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