Thoughts in Worship
Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, February 3, 2017

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“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:10–14).

Get UP! Naptime is over!
If you have been reading these posts for any period of time, you, no doubt have seen my repeated reference to the fact that we are living on the edge of time, as we know it. Our world is changing rapidly, and many of us are oblivious to the changes. As some of us snuggle into our comfy little beds of ignorance the world is changing. Relationships are changing. Perspectives are changing. Lifestyles are changing. Hearts are changing. Governments are changing. Religion is changing. Everything around us is…changing; not always for the better.

For this reason, the consistency of the Word of God is critical. Our God does not change. He’s the same today as He’s ever been in eternity past.

Paul, in our theme text, admonishes us to Get UP and #staywoke. But his admonition is not one of self-protection, simple awareness, or armoring up for some earthly conflict. Paul sounds the alarm that Jesus is coming soon. He is coming for people who are conscious. Conscious people love our neighbors. We fulfill the intent and spirit of God’s holy law by loving Him and loving people. Love trumps hate. Love seeks the best in others. Conscious people turn away from evil—evil mindsets, corrupt activities, stirring up evil in others, and evil in general. Conscious people recognize the times and put forth a valiant effort to prepare others to meet the king of the universe in peace. Conscious people are honest, and their lives reflect the light of God.

Moreover, conscious people are consistently covered in the righteousness of Christ. They refuse to allow the worldly mindset to squeeze them into its mold. They refuse to lose focus of eternal goals. They refuse to allow their weaknesses to determine their outcome. Woke people; conscious people make no provision to display or embrace their unholy character traits because they know they represent Almighty God.

Get UP! Naptime is over! Our salvation is nearer than we think. Jesus is soon to come, and only conscious people will be saved.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)