The other morning I awoke a few minutes before my alarm clock was set to annoyingly buzz me into a new day.  For a brief few seconds I began a sharp dialogue between myself and… myself.  One side of me was determined to freeze my momentum and keep me in the comfort of my soft, cozy, warm bed while the other side was lobbying for an early rise in order to get to the gym and my morning devotion.

Isn’t this the case with our faith these days?  We are told by Christ that the alarm will buzz and it will be time to go… but we are so inclined to sit right where we are and convince ourselves that this comfortable place we are in is ok and fine.

Wake Up!

And FYI: You don’t have a say in the discussion of whether we should sit or go.  Dig into scripture and read the Gospel of Matthew… you will find that Christ is pretty clear about what we should be doing and that the alarm clock WILL buzz.  Each day we exercise our will and succumb to our own desires when we choose to sit where we are and do nothing.

The early warning is this:  If you say you have faith, and you don’t hold Christ’s teachings very close to your heart… then do you have faith?  Or do you just “buy in” to the myth of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit and faith isn’t really there?  Go read James’ epistle… it’s pretty clear.

Strong words I know… and I am just as guilty as the next person.

There is an awakening that is beginning to stir in the faithful Christians of this culture.  The Christian community has been asleep for about 50 years, but is now starting to yawn and wake up.  Look around you, listen to the words being spoken.  Luckily for us, we are rousing before the alarm is set to buzz.

I am fearful that western culture is only 1 generation away from losing touch with  what it means to be Christian.  We have a lot of work to do… God has uniquely placed you and I here to make this happen.

Our eyes are open, we are lying down in a soft, warm, comfortable place… and we’re debating what we should do.  Should we just lay here and rejoice in our own little spot while we stare at the clock and wait for the buzzer?  Or should we spring up, pick up our step, and get very busy realizing that there is much, much, much more to do before the alarm sounds?

³²“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
Mark 13:32-33 (NIV)

We need to ask ourselves if we really believe what Jesus is saying as recorded in Mark’s Gospel.  Do you hide these words in your heart?  Is this part of who you are?

Christ Jesus made it very clear that he doesn’t particularly care for any of us who are sitting on the fence… wishy washy… or we could say in today’s terms “mildly believing”.  He called this kind of life “lukewarm” and described how God would spew this lifestyle (or people) out of his mouth.

I don’t know about you… but I don’t believe being spewed from the mouth of God would be a positive experience for us.

Look around and listen to our culture is telling us everyday that we are fine… we are comfortable… we should be content to live in our safe little place and just stare at the clock.  We’re convinced that it’s OK to believe that the alarm will sound… but we are not convinced that there is a life to be lived in between the awakening and the alarm.

The point of faith in God isn’t living for the end.  The point is the relationship we are privileged to have right now.  Why waste the day laying around with one eye on the clock and one eye shut… waiting?  This isn’t living life abundantly at all and isn’t anywhere in the teachings of Christ.

Get up!

May your day be filled with the courage to get out of bed… to raise up from the comfortable complacency… and begin living a life that is in relationship with Christ Jesus.  May you love someone deeply today, showing them hospitality, concern, and compassion… reflecting the true nature of Christ Jesus.  Begin with that… and see where it takes you.

[author] [author_image timthumb='on']http://www.livebold.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ga_thumb.png[/author_image] [author_info]Greg Arnold is publisher and founder of Live Bold as well as author of “DIRT: Uncovering Authentic Faith” and architect of the M3 Men’s Ministry framework.  You can read more about him on his bio page here on the site.

.[/author_info] [/author]
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