God's word in today's world

Sin lulls you to sleep


I like food. I like eating – that’s why I look like I do. For me, every meal is an opportunity to get together and enjoy one another’s company.

A friend of mine is fasting. Immediately, I wanted to tell him that I would never be able to do it, because you see, I like the eating thing too much. But I listened to what he had to say. He was doing the Daniel fast. He described how good it was and that you’re never hungry. Your body cleanses itself of all the bad things that we stuff ourselves with. And you have more energy and zest for life. And cooking is still an opportunity for all to have a good time in the kitchen. The only difference is that it is much healthier.

This fasting thing was becoming more interesting by the minute so I asked him why he did it. He said: “We become so used to our lifestyle that we don’t actually realise that we’ve lost the way a little bit. It’s like driving a car when you’re very sleepy. Your head nods once or twice and the next step would be to fall asleep. If you’re lucky, you wake up to all the chaos around you. When I go on fast, I not only eat right, but I also make enough time to be in God’s presence so that He can show me where I’ve lost the way.”

What my friend is doing is making sense to me. It’s like a redirection so that he can see where he has become used to things, where he might have fallen asleep, and where he can go back to God’s way again.

Without realising it, we become like sleepwalkers: 7So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night.

It might not be one drunken party after the other. Maybe it’s something we know that God has called us to do, that we don’t do. Maybe we’ve allowed someone to come too close to us and the chance that it may tempt us from the right way is just around the corner. Maybe it’s a partnership or financial decision that’s not so fresh and entices you further and further from God’s plan for your life.

Maybe it is time that we, like my friend, take a stand to see where we have fallen asleep. It reminds me of that part where God says we are his first love. Is God still our first love or have our dreams, all those things after which we chase day after day, become our first love?

We must wake ourselves up. And we must wake up our family and friends around us, because it may soon be too late. May God open our eyes, literally and figuratively. May He, with his Spirit, bring us back to the road, so that we can get to the dream He has for our lives.

May this be true for you and me.

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

Reflection

Where are you sleeping?

What do you do that is not in line with God’s dream for you?

How can you take a stand?

Prayer

Lord, there are many places in our lives where we have fallen asleep. Things that are not acceptable to You have become normal to us and we know it is taking us further and further away from You. We really need your help. Amen.

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