DECEMBER 9 – Reading 343

by John Pra | December 9

“WAKE UP!”
(Romans 13:1 – 16:27)

“And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” – Romans 13:11-12a

The words can jolt us and send a surge of adrenaline through our bodies. Did I oversleep and miss my final exam? Am I late for my job interview? Is the house on fire? Paul’s words come with a holy urgency – Wake up!

In these final chapters of Paul’s letter to the Christians living in Rome he gives instruction on how to live lives that are “holy and acceptable to God.” As people of the day, we must be continually aware that history is moving to an appointed end – “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Paul wants to rouse us from spiritual drowsiness. It is incompatible with the hour in which we live. Christ is coming. Eternity is approaching. And the closer the day draws, the more earnestly we must shake off the sluggishness of indifference and press into holiness.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a pastor and theologian famously known to help spark the First Great Awakening throughout the American colonies. One of his practices was to begin each day for twenty minutes quietly thinking of the return of Christ, “ordering his affections by fixing them on what was eternal – heaven, holiness, and the glory of Christ.” Nothing breaks the power of temptation like remembering that we will give an account. Nothing strengthens perseverance like knowing the morning is near.

Application: 

• “Lay aside the works of darkness” (v. 12) – Sin thrives in secrecy, but believers are children of the light, dressed for battle. We do not drift into godliness; we arm ourselves for it. Each day choose to clothe yourself with Christ and do not make room for the old desires that once enslaved you.

   

• “Walk properly” (v. 13) – Behaviors rooted in self-indulgence — sexual sin, drunkenness, jealousy, strife — belong to the old world that is passing away. The Christian walks a different road: steady, faithful, consistent, marked by long obedience in the same direction.

   

• “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14) – Not merely morality, not merely discipline, but Christ Himself — His character, His priorities, His purity, His compassion. Union with Christ is the power that enables us to love in impossible places and remain faithful in exhausting seasons. It is Christ in us who arms us, keeps us, and makes holiness possible.

Closing Prayer:
Gracious Father, awaken my heart today by the power of Your Word; shake me from spiritual sleep. Help me lay aside every work of darkness and walk as a child of the day. Teach me to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Fix my mind on what is eternal, guard me from temptation, and keep me vigilant as I await the return of the King. Make me ready, make me holy, and make me wholly Yours, until the day dawns and Christ appears in glory. Amen.