Wake Up and Get Dressed!

As we have already learned, it is easy to allow the world around us to squeeze us into
its own mold (Romans 12:2). The great temptation all of us face is to drift through life,
flowing with the tide of popular opinion, allowing a yawning sense of complacency to
characterize our existence. We’re told to not make waves, we’re warned against being
alarmists, and we’re urged most of all to “be tolerant” of everything and everyone. Look
around and witness the evidence of such passivity; it’s everywhere! But when we turn
to the pages of Scripture, we hear a different message; we discover how important it is
to become people of zeal and passion, fervently and diligently serving our Lord (12:11).
We realize how quickly time passes and how essential it is that we make the most
of every day. Urgency is the theme of these four closing verses of Romans 13. In no
uncertain terms, this letter by Paul shakes us awake as it underscores the importance
of our redeeming the time.