6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.
In order to live a productive life as a Jesus-follower, Paul says we must be alert and self-controlled. These are contrasted with being asleep. Remember, these words are in the context of Jesus’ return and the consummation of all things. Since we claim to be followers, we must be alert. When I was in Iraq those who were on guard duty had a particularly important job. If they fell asleep, the whole camp was in real danger. Over thirty years ago when I was in Basic Training for the first time we had a field exercise. During the night there was an “attack” and we had to get in our foxholes and be ready to defend our area. I was so tired that I choose not to play the game. I found an area in some bushes a few feet away and cuddled up under my poncho and tried to catch some sleep. There were shouts and smoke grenades and weapons firing and explosions, but since I had chosen not to be in my foxhole, I didn’t care. I was tired and I was going to get some sleep no matter what. It was only training, pretend warfare. Well, I passed basic training and no one really cared that I choose to not play the game. That was a long time ago and not in a warzone. When I was in the real thing, those with weapons knew it could be their life if they did not fulfill their duty. They had to stay “at the ready” while they were on duty. They had to keep their concentration on the task at hand. They could not allow either their mind or their actions to wander from the job. They had to stay focused or the bad guys could infiltrate, killing us all. Now we might not think that our walk with Jesus is as important as pulling guard duty in a war zone, but we live in a spiritual war zone. Every day attacks come our direction, and if we are not on guard, we will let Satan in behind the wire. And once he has a foothold inside the wire, the damage becomes widespread. We cannot afford to let down our guard. We must stay vigilant in this spiritual task. Our lives depend on it. The lives of our families and each other depends on our ability to stay on the task at hand. Are you doing all you can to protect yourself from infiltration? We are all counting on you to do your job to protect us and we want to be there for you, protecting your back.
The Arnold Journey 