“再者，你们晓得现今就是该趁早睡醒的时候 …。” – 罗 13:11
我通常会尝试每晚睡觉7至8个小时，但是却往往都会少一点的。而在那些稍为“睡眠不足”的日子，我的脾气便会比较暴躁，你可能也是这样的。那么，为什么保罗会叫我们少睡而不是多睡一点呢？
保罗在这里所说的不是休息的睡眠，他指的是在我们属灵生命上的沉睡。在提醒我们心中应该以爱为首之后，保罗便敦促我们当从属灵的沉睡中醒过来。他鞭策我们去带着起初相信耶稣时的委身和活力去生活。虽然我们不一定犯了保罗在这段经文中列出的“大”罪，但我们都需要被提醒，要以爱对待我们的邻舍。对待在我们周围的人时 – 包括我们最爱的人 – 我们在态度和行为上显出的爱心，往往少于耶稣所吩咐的和他们应得的。
我成为基督徒已很久了，但可悲的是，我每天仍需要被提醒从我属灵的沉睡中醒过来，去爱神和服从神，又以神在耶稣里向我显示的那种迫切和无私的爱去爱和服事我周围的人。你又如何呢？
祷告
主耶稣，求你叫我们从属灵的沉睡中醒过来，以你显示我们的爱去爱你和其他人。阿们。
罗马书 13:8-14
8凡事都不可亏欠人，唯有彼此相爱，要常以为亏欠。因为爱人的，就完全了律法。
9像那“不可奸淫，不可杀人，不可偷盗，不可贪婪”，或有别的诫命，都包在“爱人如己”这一句话之内了。
10爱是不加害于人的，所以爱就完全了律法。
11再者，你们晓得，现今就是该趁早睡醒的时候，因为我们得救，现今比初信的时候更近了。
12黑夜已深，白昼将近，我们就当脱去暗昧的行为，带上光明的兵器。
13行事为人要端正，好像行在白昼。不可荒宴醉酒，不可好色邪荡，不可争竞嫉妒。
14总要披戴主耶稣基督，不要为肉体安排，去放纵私欲。
Wake Up!
“Do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake from your slumber. . . .” – Romans 13:11
I generally try to get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. Often, though, I get less than that. And at those times when I’m a little “sleep deprived,” I can be a bit grouchy. Maybe you’re that way too. So why does Paul urge us to sleep less and not more?
Paul isn’t talking about restful slumber here. He’s talking about getting drowsy in our spiritual lives. After reminding us that love should be at the center of our hearts, Paul urges us to wake up from our spiritual sleepiness. He spurs us on to live with the commitment and vitality that we had when we first became believers in Jesus. Although we may not be guilty of the “big” sins Paul lists in this passage, we may well need to be reminded about treating our neighbors with love. In our attitudes and actions, it’s easy to treat the people around us—including those whom we love most—with less love than Jesus commands and they deserve.
I’ve been a Christian for a long time, but, sadly, I still need daily reminders to wake up from my spiritual slumber to love and obey God and to love and serve the people around me with the same urgent selfless love that God has shown me in Jesus. What about you?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, wake us from our spiritual slumber to love you and others with the love you have shown to us. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
