Alert and Aware
March 23, 2023
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT
My phone is incredible. While I don’t know how to use most of the functions, everything I can use has made life easier and smoother. The clock and alarm automatic updates are wonderful. I generally don’t need to use the alarm to wake up on time, but I do use it as a backup. I set alarms for special events or schedules I don’t want to miss. I enjoy knowing the temperatures and predicted weather through the weather app, but I am especially grateful for the weather alarm. An obnoxious and extremely loud sound emits automatically when threatening weather is approaching my location. Previously I have stayed awake hours in the middle of the night in the basement in case a predicted tornado actually came my way. But last summer I slept well until about 3 AM when that alarm jolted me awake to alert me that a tornado was truly in my area. I was assured and grateful. And of course, there is the Amber Alert that comes from police departments if a child is abducted.
These features enable me to live more alert and aware in my physical environment. But as a follower of Jesus, alertness must completely characterize my life. I can’t simply sleepwalk.
Jesus said we need to be alert because we don’t know when He will return, and our opportunities will then be over. “Be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42 NIV). Our confidence that He is returning but we don’t know when can help us live “always ready.”
We are surrounded by opportunities we can’t afford to miss. Paul told the Colossians to pray and look for open doors. He told the Ephesians that God has prepared opportunities and good works for us to do—we just need to look. Unless we are alert, we will miss the many opportunities right in front of us to build and invest in the Kingdom of God, making an eternal difference.
Unless we are alert, our natural tendency is to drift from Jesus. “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1 NIV). No one drifts toward Jesus and His kingdom of righteousness. Unless we are actively and alertly fighting against it, like a boat that is not anchored, we will always drift from where we need to be.
Pay attention. Be alert. Be aware. It’s one of the first areas that must be aligned in a Jesus-first life.
- Copy one of the Scriptures from today’s devotional and place it where it can help you remain aware and alert all week.