Rays of Hope ~ Tim Stockton
Are You Still Sleeping and Resting
Just before Christ was arrested and falsely accused He had gone with his friends to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He had asked the disciples to also watch and pray. Matthew 26:43-46 reads, “And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, Let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
There definitely is a time to sleep and we are even commanded to rest. We are even encouraged to come unto (Jesus) all who are weary and are heavy laden and He will give us rest. However, there also comes a time we need to be rested, ready and prepared. Often we get so involved in “things” we neglect our spiritual selves. As they are neglected we can become weak and tired so that it becomes difficult and near impossible to stay in the will of God.
We have all at one point been in darkness before we believed in Christ and came “into the Light.” Ephesians 5:8-16 informs us to not to be unwise, but to understand what the will of the Lord is. “For you were once in darkness but now you are in the Light of the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says, “Awake, you who sleep. Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk carefully, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
It was 1994, twenty-eight years ago I wrote a poem called, “Sleeper Awake,” but not until this year I have really shared much about it. I felt that back in May of this year God was going to give us (my family and I) the opportunity to go around to different churches to proclaim this message. So far from June until the date of this entry (10/16/22) we have been invited into different churches each week to do just that. We often get so busy in the world that our spiritual life has fallen asleep. It’s time for each individual and the church as a whole wake up and be prepared. If you have never trusted in Christ then you are spiritually dead and just as Jesus spoke the words to Lazarus to rise from the dead, He too will call out your name to rise. Sleeper Awake!
For anyone interested in The Kinsman Redeemed visiting to minister in your church you can contact me via email as well as subscribe to this blog at timstocktonrohi@gmail.com
Rays of Hope 