"Awake, O Sleeper!"

Our Saturday workouts begin before the dawn. This serves a number of purposes. First, the dark hours are unencumbered by demands from others. Second, getting an early workout leaves the entire day for family obligations and other activities. Third, and perhaps the most relevant, is that it requires discipline. We find value in the act of shaking off the warmth of blankets and blissful slumber to march our tired bodies out—no matter the weather—to get face down in the wet grass with a bunch of guys.

The Bible, too, warns us about sleep—though of a different kind:

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:13-16).

The call here is to reject our old ways of living, when we were driven by our passions and unprincipled desires. It requires that we get out of the warm comforts of our sin and complacency and let the light of Christ lead us into a life of meaning and impact for His glory.

As G-men, we want to use physical sleep for rest and recovery, but not as a frequent escape or reason to avoid “getting after it.” Even more importantly, we want to apply this concept to our faith-walk by keeping the “lights on” as it were with regard to sin; we want to be awake and vigilant for as long as we have breath in our lungs.