Monday, April 27, 2009
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I saw an ad for one motel chain that had an interesting slant. Apparently, they wanted to highlight how very restful a stay at their motels can be. So as you watch the front of one of their facilities, you hear only the persistent ringing of a room phone. It continues to go unanswered as the narrator points out that you may sleep so soundly at their motel that you may sleep right through your wakeup call. Now, assuming the motel guest has a flight to catch or appointments to keep that day, that's not a good idea.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sleeping Through Your Wakeup Call."
Now, sleeping through a wakeup call from your motel can lead to serious consequences, like missing something you really can't afford to miss. Sleeping through a wakeup call from God can lead to deadly consequences, like missing the meaning of your life on earth and even the heaven that we hope to go to when we die.
Only hours before Jesus was crucified, He asked His close friends this haunting question, "Are you still sleeping?" (Mark 14:41). It might be a question Jesus is asking you today, "Are you still sleeping after the wakeup calls I've given you? After all the reminders and opportunities I've given you to get things settled with Me?"
Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life on that cross so you wouldn't have to die for your sins. He is not asking you to join a religion or go through some rituals. He's asking you to commit your life to the One who gave His life for you. But you've been putting Him off, you've been pursuing other things, maybe hiding behind some excuses, or hoping that all the Christians and Christianity you know will somehow be enough. You can lock Jesus out rudely or you can do it politely. Either way, He's still not in your life and you're still what He calls "lost."
But because Jesus doesn't want to lose you, He's sent you wake up calls. They may have been delivered through a Christian friend or maybe your spouse or a family member who knows Christ personally. But you keep putting them off; you keep blowing them off. Those calls weren't from them. They were from Jesus. Sometimes, Jesus will even allow you to run into a wall to get your attention: a crisis, a loss, a medical emergency, a close call. Wakeup calls to show you your need for a Savior.
In Matthew 23:37, our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus wept over the people of Jerusalem and He said, "How often I have longed to gather your children together, but you were not willing." He may be saying something like that to you right now. "How many times I've called you to Myself, but you were not willing."
I don't know how many more times He's going to call. I don't know - you don't know - when your time is going to be over. Bottom line: this is heaven or hell we're talking about. Today, right now - Jesus is calling one more time. Don't sleep through His call again. There's so very much to lose.
Open the door of your heart to this man who loves you more than anyone has ever loved you. Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours." If you want to finally belong to Him, that happens when you tell Him this: "Jesus, I have been running my life. I know that's wrong. I know you were supposed to run it, and this very day I am accepting the forgiveness you gave for by dying for me on the cross. I did the sinning; you did the dying. This day I'm pinning all my hopes on you. I'm grabbing you like a drowning person would grab a life guard. You're my only hope." That moment of trusting in Jesus, your relationship with Him begins. Yours sins are forgiven, and your place in heaven in guaranteed.
Our website is all about how to begin life's most important relationship. I want you to know that because it might be a good place for you to go. The website is YoursForLife.net. The Bible puts it this way, "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6). That implies you may not always be able to find Him. He may not always be near, but He's near right now. Grab Him while you can.