Treasure Tree DNA: Strive to stay awake.
We affirm that Jesus is returning soon and His imminent coronation arouses us to be alert and active. While the pleasures of our world and the promise of influence threaten to lull the Church to sleep, Jesus calls us to awaken from our slumber and be mindful with our lives. He calls those blessed who are awake when He returns (Luke 12:35-40). He instructs us to be sober-minded, not ruled by our passions or lulled to sleep by fleeting pleasures but careful with our desires and actions. He urges us to be prayerful as we watch, staying united with Jesus through His Spirit and urgently awaiting His final victory.
We are called to remain awake with our clothes on, dressed for battle and ready to welcome Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 5:6-7; Revelation 16:15). It is easy to fall asleep when you lose sight of the thing you’re waiting for. But we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus and recognize that time is short (Hebrews 12:2). It may not feel that way. It may feel like He is never coming back. But the day of salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed (Romans 13:11). This is the season of promise and waiting. But every promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus and we will not be kept waiting forever (2 Corinthians 1:19). He is coming soon to judge the living and the dead, to rule and to reign, to dwell with His people and be their very light. These are promises that He will keep, faith that will become sight. And we cannot lose hope in our waiting.
We think, teach, and write with this core truth at heart. We will stay alert and awake, aware that the night is almost over and the day is almost here. We will live and work as ones who will soon be presented before our King, readying ourselves for His arrival and preparing a place for Him in our hearts. We will exhort and encourage one another to not lose sight of Jesus, and we will forgive and restore those who stumble in the darkness around us. We will set an example for the family of God in speech and in conduct, and let love be our guide as our passion grows in anticipation of our reward. We will not forsake gathering together, and we will joyfully bear with one another in love as we resist the temptations of sin and rest in the promises of God. We will endure to the end. And we will call on our brothers and sisters to do the same.
