Don't fall asleep...

The Bible tells us that prior to Christ's crucifixion He was in the garden of Gethsemane with His friends, seeking and praying to His Father about the events that would soon transpire.  Christ looks to his friends and says in essence; "hey guys, I've got a lot going on here and there is a lot at stake.  Do you think you could stay awake, give me some support and help pray me through this?"  I've read through these passages on many occasions in my life and have always judged the disciples for falling asleep when Jesus needed them.  I mean come on!  Didn't they know how big of a deal this was?  Didn't they know that this was going to be the biggest deal ever?  I don't think they did, and here is why.  We are told in the bible that once Christ was crucified, they went away thinking the show was over.  They were confused, scared, hiding and I would guess just depressed and miserable after losing what I can only imagine would have been the best friend ever.  They didn't know the rest of the story.  Sure, Jesus told them exactly what would happen, that He would be crucified as a sacrifice for man's sins, that He would suffer God's judgement on our behalf and that ultimately he would defeat the grave.  I think the disciples heard Him, but I don't think it was part of their expectant reality.  They didn't get to read about how they fell asleep and missed the opportunity to hold and pray for their Savior in the Gospel's because they were there, and they hadn't been written yet.  If I can be completely honest here, I would have been sleeping too.

The Bible is packed full of stories, and as you read into each story you find layers of application that go deeper than the original subject.  As I think through this story,  I look for parallels in my life, and in the modern world for application.  So the essence of the story is that God had a plan.  The plan was to rescue humanity from their sin and reconcile them to Himself.  The plan was going to unfold according to His will regardless of what else happened.  Jesus was the key player in His plan.  Jesus indicated that he wanted the support of His friends.  Hmmm...  God has a plan.  The plan is going to unfold according to His will no matter what.  Jesus is a key player in that plan and He wants the support of His friends.  This sounds familiar.  Are we not told in the bible that God still has a plan.  Are we not told that God's plan is to reconcile us to Himself so we can be secure for eternity in His kingdom.  Are we not told that Christ is the key player in God's plan.  Finally, in the Bible, don't you get the feeling Jesus would like the support of His friends?

Have I been asleep?  Have you?  When Jesus found His friends sleeping in the garden, He said "the Spirit is willing but the body is weak".  I think that surely applies to myself and many of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  The Holy Spirit living in me is willing, but my worldly body and mind are weak.  I fall asleep so easily at times and yet I'm surprised just how quickly it can happen.  How do I fall asleep you may ask?  I think for me, whenever I take my eye's off Jesus and focus on what is going on in my circumstances, I begin to fall asleep.  These are the times that I almost forget God is there and instead decide to focus on my problems and worry about what may or may not happen next.  I fall asleep when I compromise in my obedience.  When I let the morality pendulum swing according to what feels right at the time instead of relying on the Word as my guide.  I fall asleep when I wake up in the morning and am more interested to see what is going on with my Facebook feed than seeking what God wants to say to me in my morning devotions and prayer.  Shift gears with me and look at the Church.  Do you think we've been asleep?  Do you think we have taken our eye's off of Jesus and instead turned our focus to our circumstances and what may or may not happen next?  Do you think we have been compromising in our obedience to the Word of God?  Have we manipulated and watered down the Word to fit our own morality and what "feels right" from the worlds perspective.  Have we become more concerned with fitting in as opposed to standing out?  I think I have.  I think we have...   

"This is why it is said:

 “Wake up, sleeper,
   rise from the dead,
   and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
 Ephesian 5:14-16      

The good news is, we can wake up just as easily as we can fall asleep... Let's Wake Up!

Chris