Every morning, our peaceful sleep is interrupted by a piercing, motivating, and distinct sound. It is the sound of our alarm clock going off, ensuring that we begin preparing for the day. In Romans 13:11, the Apostle Paul acts as a spiritual alarm clock to the Christians at Rome. He writes, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

Paul uses similar wording when writing to the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15:34: “Awake to righteousness.” Also, in Ephesians 5:14, he writes, “Awake thou that sleepest.”

It amazes me that in three different books, written to three different churches, Paul has to remind these believers to wake up to the things of God. Why does Paul have to sound this alarm? He acts as this “alarm clock” because there are areas in which these believers are behaving as though they are asleep to spiritual matters.

May I remind us this morning that these are not “bad” churches. Rather, because of their human nature, they simply needed to be reminded to become active in spiritual things. The same is true for you and me as believers today. Sometimes we need a spiritual “alarm clock” to remind us to wake up to spiritual matters. In Romans 13, Paul is sounding the alarm and telling us to wake up because “our salvation is nearer than when we believed.” One day — and perhaps one day soon — Jesus is coming back for us. Let us not be found guilty of hitting the snooze button on the spiritual alarm clocks in our lives.

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Robert Simmons, C Ministry Director

Robert Simmons works on the faculty of Golden State Baptist College. He is the College Bus Ministry Director and the Men’s Dorm Supervisor.