One Eye on the Headlines & the Other on the Eastern Sky

A few weeks ago, I went into my seven-year-old son Logan’s room to wake him up.  Normally, Logan is quick to open his eyes and smile at me first thing in the morning (quite unlike his oldest brother, Braxton).  But on this particular morning, Logan had no desire to be bothered.  As I tried to wake him up he did his best to ignore me.  Once again, I attempted to get him to wake up, but this time he stuck his head under his pillow and did his best to pretend that no one was there and nothing was going on.  Eventually, he uncovered his head, opened his eyes, and gave me the beautiful, heart-warming smile that always seems to brighten even the dreariest of days.

Later, as I was in the middle of preaching on a Sunday morning, I was reminded of this story.  This story reminds me of a passage of Scripture that I taught on recently.  It is taken from Romans 13:11-14.

In Romans 13:11-12, the apostle Paul tells us, “And do this, understanding the present time.  The hour has 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.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

There are a few things that we need to make careful application of:

1. We need to understand the present time.  Whether we realize it or not, according to the Word of God, we are living in the last days.
2. We need to “Wake Up!” from our slumber.
3. We must realize that our salvation (the return of the Lord) is nearer now than when we first believed.
4. Understanding that the “night is nearly over,” and “the day is almost here,” we need to “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”  We need to prepare ourselves for the Lord’s return.  He is coming for a spotless, sinless bride.

“The world has had an endless series of wake-up calls over the past decade or so.” Even today, things seem to be going from bad to worse, yet many Christians seem to be asleep. Seemingly unaware of “the present time,” they do their best, like Logan, to bury their heads under a pillow as if nothing is going on.  How tragic?  Now is not the time to be sleeping.  Now is the time to “Wake Up!”  Now is the time to make certain that we are ready should He come today. Now is the time for us to lift up our eyes, because our redemption is drawing ever nearer each passing day.

The good news is that not every believer is asleep.  Many have already been stirred and realize the “day is almost here.”

Dr. David Jeremiah puts it this way:  “Christians all over the world are wide awake and more aware of the times than we’ve ever been.  As followers of Christ, we must be alert, watchful, and vigilant, with one eye on the headlines and the other on the eastern skies.”