I remember when I was young, my mom would come into my room in the morning and shake me and my younger brother to wake us up, and she would say, “Time to get up, get dressed, and get ready for school.”

She was right, you know.  Now, my brother and I would have rather stayed asleep a little longer, enjoying our dreams.  But there were things to be done if we were to grow and mature and be ready for what was ahead.

As parents, my wife and I experienced the same thing with our kids when they were younger.  I think this is a reality for every generation.  Sleep can be sweet, and it is needed for good health, but there is also a need to awake, get dressed, and be prepared for what lies ahead.

This is especially true, spiritually speaking.

Romans 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

When someone is asleep in bed, they are not dressed for the day.  They are not clothed as someone with a purpose.  When the CEO of a company goes to bed, he or she does not dress as they would for the workday.  The same would be true of a mechanic, plumber, electrician, or farmer.

I realize that many people are now seen out in public in their pajamas. Try as you might, you would never be able to tell what they do productively in life. In other words, if they are not clothed according to their purpose, no one can discern their purpose.

This is true of the church as well.  That is what Paul is getting at here in Romans 13

Church, it’s time to wake up! That is why I pray for an awakening in the church.  Our final phase of salvation is nearer than it has ever been.  Jesus is coming soon!  When He comes, we all get new bodies that are in keeping with the glory of the new creation we are in Christ.  It will be obvious then who and what we are without even trying.  However, in this moment we are in, we need to be reminded of who we are and whose we are, and we need to awake and put on the armor of light and the Lord Jesus so that it is plain for all to see the image we bear of Him!

We say no to spiritual laziness, as that is the way to give provision to the flesh.  We say yes to Jesus and all He desires!  We say yes to bearing His image in the manner of life we choose to live.  We are not showing up in public in our pajamas and slippers!  We are showing up ready!  We want it to be clear what our purpose is and Who it is we belong to and are looking for as His return grows closer!

I hear an alarm ringing loudly in the realm of the Spirit, calling the church to “awake, awake, rise, and shine!”  Get up and get dressed, my chosen ones!  It’s time to get up and get dressed!