"Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you." -Revelation 3:3
Jesus has a strong concern for his church in Sardis. The have a reputation of being alive, but they are actually a dead church. The outward appearance is kept shiny, but the core of who they are is lifeless. This is a warning for churches, and it is a warning for us individuals as well.
We can go through the motions of life and be content to have the appearance of fervency and devotion, but actually live unchanged vapid lives. In Christ, we are called to:
Life that is full.
Faith that is vibrant.
Experiences that we could never gain on our own.
This is then the warning: come back from the ledge.
Remember what you received and heard, the Gospel of Jesus — his work for you, his claim over you, his empowerment for faith and life — and keep it.
Make this truth of Jesus central to who you are and how your life is defined. It won't always be pretty, and it won't always appear like you might expect on the outside; but when we cling to nothing more than Jesus, we are fully awake, the way we were meant to be.
In this wakefulness, we can repent, turn back to God, turn back to our refuge and strength. In the returning, we find increasing depths of goodness and glory.
Today, be fully awake. See your sin and your inclination toward lifeless faith. Repent and turn again to Jesus; remember his work for you and his call to you to live.
