Psssssst.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Helloooooo.
Sorry to interrupt you in the World of Slumbering Hearts, but we should talk. You’re probably reading this in the middle of the day, but I’m writing it in the middle of the night.
Sometimes I get to thinking when I probably should be sleeping. It works out OK, I suppose. Sometimes I get to sleeping when I should be thinking.
Anyway…
It seems as though more and more we live in a world of sleeping hearts. Cold. Unresponsive. Lifeless.
Our eyes are open. Apparently our thumbs still work. We still go through our routines. But we seem oblivious to a quieter, more powerful, more eternal world.
Our generation is by no means the first. The Apostle John was asked to deliver a wake-up call to some churches in what we call the Book of Revelation. Three, in fact.
One of them, in Ephesus, was deliriously busy doing religious things. Campaigning for spiritual orthodoxy. Working tirelessly for The Cause. God had obviously blessed them with hard workers and boundless energy.
Wake up call: You’ve left your first love.
The second, in Sardis, was living on their reputation. God had obviously blessed them with amazing experiences.
Wake up call: You have a name for being alive, but you’re dead.
The third, in Laodicea, was living in the lap of luxury. They had the best of everything… the latest technology, the coolest gadgets, the nicest stuff. God had obviously blessed them with material prosperity.
Wake up call: Lukewarm Christians nauseate God.
So… how awake is your heart? I know you’re probably really busy. I know you can probably point to past experiences where your heart is alive. I know you can find many blessings in your life for which you are grateful. But it’s possible to have all that and still have a sleepy, lethargic heart to what God is doing here, now.
Here are some signs of life to look for in hearts that are alive and awake: [click to continue…]