TEXT: 1 Peter 4:7
Third, we are to live with a continual prayerful watch for the second coming. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, He came to His disciples expecting to find them awake and praying with and for Him. Instead He found them all asleep! Then He told them, 'What, could ye not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' We need to do the same in the last days. The sad truth is that if Jesus returned today, most of us would not be sober minded, watchful, and prayerful. Instead, most Christians are silly minded, worldly, and sinful. You don’t want to be one of those Christians. Now is the time to set aside the things of this world and be watchful and prayerful. Charles Seet said, “To watch unto prayer is to be spiritually alert and awake. As we live closer to the time of Christ's return, we must not be in a state of spiritual stupor or slumber. Brethren, when Jesus returns from Heaven soon, will He also find us in a state of slumber? How shameful it would be for us if He were to find us in this state! Dearly beloved, how long has it been since you last had real quality quiet time with the Lord? How long has it been since you last experienced God's presence in your life in a wonderful way? How long has it been since your Bible study was a great delight to you and were discovering marvelous gems from God's Word that thrilled your soul? How long has it been since you were moved to tears by the thought of the grace of the Lord to you, a sinner? If it has been a long time and cannot even remember when it was, it is certainly high time for you to wake up from your spiritual slumber, and to watch unto prayer! This is not the time to be spiritually asleep, but the time to be fully revived. This is the time for us all to lay aside every sin and anything in our lives that may hinder our spiritual growth, and run the race that is set before us. This is the time for us to draw closer to God, and to seek His face.” Dear Christian, it is time for you to wake up from your spiritual slumber. You must get up and get to your watchtower and duty of prayer. Begin today to change your lifestyle. Pray right now and ask for the Lord to help you to change your life so that you are sober minded, watchful, and prayerful.