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BE ALERT!
LORD’S DAY, DECEMBER 7
1 Thessalonians 5:6-8

Matthew 26:30-46

 

“…let us watch

and be sober.”

 

BE ALERT!
 
After we wake up each day, the challenge is for us to keep awake. There are times when, even after we wake up, we still feel very drowsy. Yet we know that it is time to wake up and get on with our day. Therefore, we do whatever is necessary to get going. Whether it is a cold shower, a hot coffee, or some exercise, we would do whatever it takes because we know it is important to stay awake.
 
In like manner, after we awake out of our spiritual slumber, it is critical that we never lapse back into sleep. Therefore, the call is for us to “watch and be sober” (1 Thess 5:6). To watch is to be awake, vigilant and attentive. To be sober is to be temperate, in control of our mental faculties, and not drunk. This is the state that believers must continually be in. Like good soldiers, we must be ready for imminent threats, always prepared to respond. As spiritual soldiers in the Lord’s army, we must remain watchful and sober, ready to stand firm against the wiles of the Devil.
 
Surely, we do not want to be like the disciples that accompanied Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. They were told to sit there and be alert for any threats while Jesus went to pray. However, three times, Jesus found them asleep. Disappointed, He questioned them: “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” (Matt 26:40). We do well to take heed of Jesus’ exhortation: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41).
 
By application, one who is not watchful is one who lapses into spiritual stupor, or is like one who is drunk. A drunkard is one who has his senses dulled, is no longer in control and prone to foolish behaviour. People who are drunk seldom admit that they are drunk, and often do reckless things that they would later regret. That is a state that we never want to find ourselves in. We cannot afford to be complacent. We must do all we can to remain spiritually watchful and vigilant. Let us pray without ceasing to have the discernment to be aware of the spiritual dangers that surround us.
 
THOUGHT: A soldier will never let his guard down.

PRAYER: Father, help me to watch and pray!

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