"The Night Is Far Spent, The Day Is At Hand"

Romans 13:12

Do you know what time it is? It is daytime. The long night of darkness is over. The Gospel day is here. This is the day of salvation. The Sun of Righteousness has arisen. This is not a time for sleep, but a time for business and work. "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent (the long night of earthly care and trouble), the day is at hand (the day of complete salvation and everlasting glory): let us therefore...CAST OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS." Cast off the bedclothes of sin and indifference. "AND LET US PUT ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT." As soldiers with only one more battle to fight before victory is won, put on the whole armor of God. "LET US WALK HONESTLY, AS IN THE DAY." Certainly, we must be honest, true, sincere in the course of our lives. But the word "honestly" here means to walk with confidence and assurance, not hesitantly and reluctantly. Living as we do upon the edge of eternity, we must not live in rioting (frivolity), drunkenness, chambering and wantonness (sensuality and lasciviousness), or in strife and envying. Soldiers on the field of battle have no time for nonsense! Everything must be done in earnest. "BUT PUT YE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." He is the whole armor of God. God put his righteousness upon us in justification and put his Spirit in us in regeneration. But we must put him on by faith. To put him on is to trust him, confess him and imitate him. This we must do continually. "AND MAKE NOT PROVISION FOR THE FLESH." We must not dedicate our lives to mundane provisions for our physical welfare. Our heavenly Father will supply us with our daily needs (Matt. 6:31-34). Our concern must be for heavenly, spiritual, eternal things. This is what the Apostle means when he says, "Awake out of sleep!"

IF WE ARE HIS, THE LORD WILL GRACIOUSLY AWAKEN US. He not only commands us to awake, he makes certain that we do (Song 5:2-8). He will speak to us by his Word, call us by his Spirit, and put his hand of grace into our hearts. By one means or another, he will graciously force us from our bed of indifference and cause us to arise and seek him. Blessed be his name, our God will not allow indifference to become apostacy in his people! He will force us to seek him with all our hearts. And he will be found of those who deligently seek him (Song 3:1-14).

Don Fortner