Home | Contact Me | Soulful Sunday| Music For The Heart And Soul | Prayer Requests| Let's Talk Truth | TEENS | Devotions| Let's Share| Roman's Road

WHERE DID THEY GO?

Can't find yesterday's post? Did you miss a day last week? Do you just want to re-read a post or share a post with someone? Just click on the tab you need under the "Christian, Can We Talk?" title! You will find each "Day" there and the past posts. Click on the "highlighted" link and it will take you to that post!

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Followers

About Me

Our Daily Bread.

Thanks for coming!

FeedBurner FeedCount

BlogCatalog

LifeSavers Ministry
LifeSavers Ministry - Confused? Think no one cares? We care. And we want to help.
AVON
Love AVON? Contact AVON Rep., Dyan Damm today! Her Christian ethics and her friendliness make her a top-rate AVON representative!
A Bushel 'N A Peck
Heart 4 Homeschooling

Friday, January 29, 2010

Devotional Friday - "So Sleepy" by Pastor Rick Klueg


Devotional Friday
"So Sleepy" by Pastor Rick Klueg from The Baptist Church of Northville


1 Thessalonians 5:6
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled

The other night, my wife hit me. I guess that makes us even, because I hit her a good one a few years ago. The circumstances were the same both times: We were sound asleep and having a dream. In my dream, I was involved in a fight with someone, and I punched her on the arm in my sleep. In her dream, Barb said it was something about a giant snake she had to fight off. In both instances, the victim did not take anything personally. You cannot hold anyone responsible for an action taken during sleep! Speaking spiritually, however, God warns us to not be like others, who are asleep!

This verse challenges us to be alert and self-controlled, in contrast to being asleep. The issue is not physical sleep, but this is being used as an analogy for one’s spiritual stance. When someone is asleep, he is unaware of his surroundings. Once I fall asleep at night, I am usually “dead to the world.” I sleep through thunderstorms, sirens, and just about anything else. That is a blessing as far as getting proper rest, but it would make it easy for someone to assault or rob me.
The Greek word used here (the name “Gregory” is derived from it) means to keep awake and be watchful. When I worked as a night watchmen at a boys’ detention center, it was my responsibility to stay awake so that the boys would not escape. We, likewise, need to be spiritually watchful, aware of all that is going on around us. We dare not let Satan find his way into our lives unchallenged. We need to be alert.
A second characteristic of sound sleep is that the sleeper is not in control of his or her actions. I am horrified at the thought of punching my wife, but during that dream I was not able to think and process my actions properly. Sometimes sleeping youngsters will hurt themselves as they roll out of bed. Others damage their teeth by involuntarily clenching them during sleep. They would not think of doing such things if they were awake, but those who are sleeping do not have complete self-control.
Interestingly, the word translated self-controlled is a Greek word that originally referred to being sober, free from the debilitating effects of alcohol. The idea is that there are certain conditions in which a person can be “out of it,” not able to think and act normally. Unlike those who do not know Christ, we are to always maintain a conscious, deliberate control over our actions. Overuse of alcohol is one way to lose that control, but it may be lost any number of other ways, from self-indulgence to apathy.

In a world filled with evil spirits and worldly temptations, and in an age when our Lord could come again at any time, we cannot afford to fall asleep for a moment!
Biblical Doctrine: Soteriology – Although we are securely “in Christ” by our justification, we need carefully to maintain a constant, conscious relationship with our Lord.
My Responsibility: Do not let the world, the flesh, and the devil lull me to spiritual slumber.
Question: Would you say that most Christians today are a bit on the “sleepy” side?
Prayer: Lord keep me awake, fully alert to all that is happening around me, and fully in control of my actions and reactions.



3 ***COMMENT HERE***:

Unknown said...

Yes...I htink some Christians are on the sleepy side

Anne Morgan said...

Everything stems from what we really believe is real. We (as a church in general) have become so complacent with our faith. We've swung the pendulum towards His grace & mercy and have left His righteousness and holiness behind. Christ was right to call this age "lukewarm".
Thanks for the reminder, Pastor.

Unknown said...

Yes, it is easy to fall asleep. I think of my drives home at 2am, and how tired I am. There are many times I find myself falling asleep driving, so I must turn the volume up on the radio, or roll down the window to stay awake. Sometimes as Christians we must find ways to not fall asleep in our walk with Christ. Such things as turning up the power of prayer, and reading Gods word. Help me Lord not to fall asleep in my walk with Christ.

Post a Comment

"Need a lifeguard? Mine walks on water!" Thanks for stopping by to chat! Please leave a comment and your favorite verse before you go! Have a blessed day!

So Far This Week:

I have run across many people who are having a hard time commenting or finding where they are to comment on the posts. They want to share their prayer requests or music videos and can't. I am hoping this will be easier. From now on, I will add the new day and the new day's topic to the home page post. Just click on the word "HERE" and it will take you to the post with the comment box already up and you will be able to see comments other people have shared. I am praying this will be easier for everyone. If not, we can go back to the old way.

Soulful Sunday - "Lies Women Believe" - About Themselves-Part 2- I Need To Learn To Love Myself. To see this post, Click HERE

Music for the Heart and Soul - Come and share your favorite Christan music and listen to others as we worship God! To see this post, click HERE

Prayer Requests - "Shying Away From Greatness". Let's be prayer warriors for each other today. To see this post, click HERE

Let' Talk Truth- Adversity is the topic this week. To see this post, click HERE

Teens-

Devotions -


Let's Share -

Our Fan Box

Bible Passage Look Up

Lookup a word or passage in the Bible



BibleGateway.com
Include this form on your page

Labels

1 Thessalonians (1) Addison Road (3) adversity (1) asleep (1) baking (1) Bart Millard (2) Believe (1) Big Daddy Weave (1) blessings (2) Brandon Heath (1) Casting Crowns (3) Charles F. Stanley (2) Chris Tomlin (2) Christ (2) Christian (2) Christians (1) Christmas (1) David (1) David Crowder Band (1) devotions (9) disappointment (1) disappointments (1) discouragemnt (1) enough (1) Ephesians (1) failure (1) foundation (1) Francesca Battistelli (2) Freedom (1) gentiles (1) God (29) God Christian (1) God's Will (2) government (1) grace (1) Hannah Whithall Smith (2) HillSong (1) Hold My Heart (1) Holy Spirit (2) home school (1) hurting (1) Jeff and Sherri Easter (2) Jesus (3) Jesus Christ (2) jews (1) Job (1) Josh McDowell (1) justice (1) King Ahasuerus (1) Lazarus (1) lies (1) Lies Women Believe (8) loss (1) Love (2) man (1) Matthew West (1) Mercy (1) Mercy Me (3) music (3) Music For the Heart Monday (5) Nancy Leigh DeMoss (9) Natalie Grant (1) Newsboys (1) Nicole C Mullins (1) obedience (2) Our Generation Seeking Him (2) Paul (1) Peter (1) Phillipians (1) philosophy (1) poll (1) praises (5) prayer (11) prayer warriors (5) Prayerful Tuesday (6) problems (1) Psalms (1) public school (1) punishment (1) Ray Boltz (1) restrictions (1) Romans prayer (1) Romans Road (1) Salvation (1) Savior (1) Scripture (1) self-control (1) Self-image (2) servant (1) Share the Road Saturday (1) sharing (1) Sidewalk Prophets (1) sober (1) Solomon (1) songs (1) Soulful Sunday (2) Standing at My Locker (1) Stormie Omartian (2) Stump 'em Question (1) Teen (3) teen thursday (5) Teens (6) Tenth Avenue North (2) testimonies (2) testimony (1) The Truth Project (6) Third Day (1) Tim Hawkins. (5) tolerance (1) treasures (1) treats (1) trials (1) tribulation (1) truth (4) Truth Wednesday (4) You Love Me Anyway (1)