“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/ 

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht   

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/ 

Written by 83 yr old Robert VanHoose, who writes the “Homily Grits Devotional” that I post everyday:

Read Luke 22:29-36,
Proverbs 4                                                                  Apr 21

“Unholy Hibernation”

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.     1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NKJV)

     Whether it’s from taking free grace or “once saved – always saved” too literally, there often seem to be a lot of “rip van winkles” or hibernating bears within the household of faith.

Some will point to their confirmation as children; others can give you the exact time and date of when they received Jesus Christ years ago without being able to give an ounce of evidence that their profession of faith was anything except lip service.

The idea that we receive salvation, and can then go into spiritual hibernation until we wake up in heaven, gives a false sense of eternal security that Satan has used to distract and destroy a lot of people.

Saving faith is a living faith evidencing the love of God and lordship of Jesus Christ  in our every day lives.  Receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior is the beginning of an eternal life that begins the hour we first believe and continues into the forever life with Christ in heaven. 

As our faith takes root in our hearts by the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit, holy transformation begins.     God did not create us to be sleep walkers or hibernators while we wait for Him to take us home to heaven.

He as endued us with power from on high to be all that He would have us be in Christ, and to do all that He purposed us to do before we were born.

Jesus Christ came that we might have real life in all its fullness. 

We are commanded to stay awake and be faithful and fruitful as we await the return of Jesus Christ.  We cannot hibernate our way into heaven!

Father, let me never be guilty of sleeping through life without you.  Amen