By Steven Scheid
“Besides this you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”
––Romans 13:11 ESV
Each day I set two alarms. The first provides gentle music. The second is a rasping knock.
The intent is to avoid a jolt into consciousness. Most of the time, the second is turned off before it starts. On rare occasions, the second alarm brings me to an adrenaline-induced consciousness.
This pattern also lives in the pages of the Bible.
In Deuteronomy 8:11-14, the alarm is gentle: “Be careful that you do not forget . . .”
We hit the snooze button. We prosper as life becomes easier. It is a comforting alarm.
Then comes the harsh call of John 3:18: “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
We must wake up. God is calling; salvation is at stake.
The problems of our day seem daunting, but they are nothing compared to eternal consequences.
Once awake it is time to live as a disciple.
One man awake
Can waken another;
The second can waken
His next-door brother.
The three awake
Can rouse a town,
By turning the whole
Place upside down.
The many awake
Can make such a fuss,
That it finally wakens
The rest of us!
One man up,
With dawn in his eyes,
Multiplies.
––Helen Kromer
The mission of the church is to make disciples for the transformation of the world. Are you in mission?
Steven Scheid, director of the Center for Scouting Ministry
General Commission on UM Men