When Paul quotes "Sleeper awake, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!" in Ephesians 5:14, it's likely an early Christian baptismal chant. Paul has drawn on the image of baptism several times in his letter to the Ephesians as a way of portraying what new life in Christ means.
Thus, in the text that follows, Paul makes three contrasts between being asleep in our sin and awake in our new life in Christ. The first is living wisely, rather than unwisely, by making the most of every opportunity. He links wise living with an awareness of our time, and by association, an awareness of the story we're in.
The days are evil, he says, when the story is all about me, about us, about the self. When we refuse to cherish time as a gift and insist on running around as if there's never enough of it. When we seek personal prestige and glory. To live wisely, in contrast, is to recognize that the story is about God. That He has given us plenty of time to live in enjoyment and recognition of Him. That a life well lived is one spent in lifting Him up in glory.
It's likely the case that we live in both of these realities at one time or another.
How does this concept of living wisely encourage us toward prioritizing time differently?
Is it difficult to get the focus of our time off of our personal to-do lists and on to the mission of God? If so, why?
The second contrast Paul gives is between understanding the will of the LORD and not. We're told at the beginning of the letter that the will of the LORD is to "gather up all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth." And to understand this is to participate in this gathering up of all things. If we're not doing that, then we're working against God; we're scattering.
How can we actively participate in the mission of God to gather up all things in Christ? What might that look like in our daily lives?
What must change in us if we are to care about this mission as God cares about it?
The third contrast is between getting drunk on our vices and getting drunk on the Spirit. The former leads to endless emptiness and dissatisfaction. The latter leads to a life overflowing with praise and gratitude.
Even if we're not plagued by vice, how are we tempted away from praise and gratitude?
More than an act of willpower, a life filled with the Spirit promises a transformation of our desires. What structures can we put in place that might play the sweeter song of the Spirit, even though the siren song of the world constantly beckons?
My prayer for us: Lord Jesus, help us wake from the sleep of sin and rise into the new life you offer. Transform our desires so that our hearts are for you alone. Guide us in wisdom, so that we recognize that our lives are not about us, but you. And help us to not only understand your will, but join you in bringing it to life. In the power of your Spirit we pray, Amen.
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