September 10 Romans 13:8-14 Awake thou that sleepest, and get dressed!

WAKE UP and experience the glory and power of God in your life!           Psalter reading Psalm 119:33-40

33Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. 34Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. 36Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. 37Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. 38Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. 39Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. 40Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness. Psalm 119:33-40 NKJV

8Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Put on Christ 11And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13:8-14 NKJV

For years I have suffered from Sleep Apnea.  I say suffered because walking around half asleep and never fully awake is true suffering.  And the weariness grows overcomes.

So many walk around spiritually asleep even during the day time so unaware of God and His presence around them.  Often they will complain God is nowhere to be found!

In Psalm 119 we can almost hear the Psalmist crying for God to wake them up to see and understand God.  Look at the words used like teach, give, turn away and others.

In Romans we see how to walk in our lives by looking around us at others and seeing their needs and seeking how to not bring harm to their lives and families.  This constant vigil keeps us awake and helps us “be dressed” to be in community with others.

We are to “put on” Jesus and be dressed for all we will face and all we are called to do.  Putting on Jesus is “the armor of light” that protects us and gives us the courage to walk courageously in this world darkened by sin.

We live in a world filled with anger, fear, lust and hatred.  We are called to not fall into that ourselves and also to love our neighbors so they will follow us out of the darkness and to Jesus to be able to put on “the armor of light”!