A Wake-Up Call

by Shelia Gaines

Verse for thought:  
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and will remind you of  everything that I have said to you. John 14:26 (NIV)

Although the conveniences of cell phones have made them less popular, wake up calls are usually requested by hotel guest who needed to be up for a meeting or on the road by a certain time.  A wake up call can startle you out of a deep sleep.  Even if you are an early riser, that first call in the morning can still be a little irritating.  However, the thing to remember is you don’t receive a wake-up call unless you request it. What you do after you receive the call is up to you.  The hotel employees will not come to your room to get you out of bed, but they will give you a call to let you know that it’s time for you to wake up. You have a choice when you receive the call.  You can say thank you and go back to sleep or you can go ahead and get up and get about your business.  If you go back to sleep you run the risk of over sleeping and missing an appointment.  It’s possible that you will wake up on time anyway, but you still take the risk.

An article in the Experiencing God Study Bible, Amos is described as “a prophet who spoke God’s words faithfully to a people who had grown complacent in their life styles and asleep in their faith.  He was sent to wake them up.  They were doing well, enjoying the king and everybody was prospering, but they were spiritually dead.  Have you ever found yourself at a place like that?  Maybe things seem to be going well, everybody seems to be happy, but something seems to be missing for you.  Well, maybe God is nudging you to “wake up”.  Often we are going through the motions but we don’t have a real relationship with the Lord.  If this is where you are today, why not wake up and take to heart the words of one recording artist who said, “I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking, what if I had given everything instead of going through the motions?”  Sometimes God has sent us someone to give us a wake-up call, but we are just saying thanks and going back into a complacent sleep.  

Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing your Holy Spirit to “wake us up” when we get on the wrong track.  Help us to answer your call willing, trusting that you always have our best interest at heart.   Thank you for your unconditional love.  Amen

Take the Next Step:
Give yourself a wake-up call. Ask God to show you what you need to do to grow your relationship with him. Look around at the people he has placed in your life.  Is there someone who needs a wake-up call?  Why not listen to what God has put in your spirit and give them a ring?