“Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ He said to Peter, ‘are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?’” Mark 14:37
Sleep. Each of us needs about eight hours of it per day to recharge our bodies. But it’s not always a good thing, as Peter found out when he fell asleep while he waited for Jesus.
There’s physical sleep and then there is a spiritual sleep. Luke 21:36 tells us: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
The Greek word translated as watch in verse 36 means to be sleepless or to keep awake. Frequently, when the Bible mentions being asleep or tells us to wake up, it refers to our spiritual state. Instead of “watch,” some Bible versions use words such as, “Don’t go to sleep at the switch” (The Message), “Be always on the watch” (NIV), and “Be ready all the time” (New Century Version).
Many Christians, even though they profess their faith, live in a state of spiritual sleepiness, hesitant to move forward in their Christian growth.
Perhaps they are not growing because they want partial obedience to count. Perhaps they are compromising some part of their life. Maybe they are waiting for privileged treatment to come, or maybe they think that peaceful arrangements will continue.
But Jesus’ call is clear. He wants us to be spiritually awake and active! So where are you in your spiritual growth? Can you not stay awake for one hour?
Lord, may I never forsake You and may I always be found faithful, spiritually alert, and in a spiritually-growing mode. Amen.
By John Grant
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