Awake, O Sleeper

The passage quotes what many believe is an early Christian hymn: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." This echoes Isaiah 60:1, where God called Israel to "Arise, shine, for your light has come." But the text applies it personally and urgently. Wake up. Stop sleeping through your salvation. Stop living like you're still dead when Christ has made you alive.

There's a devastating irony in being alive but living as if you're dead. It's like a prisoner who's been pardoned but refuses to leave his cell. It's like a slave who's been freed but continues living in bondage. You are light in the Lord. Why would you choose to walk in darkness?

The promise is that Christ will shine on you. The verb epiphauō means to give light, to illuminate. You don't have to generate light from within yourself through sheer effort. Christ promises to shine His light upon you. He is both the source and the sustainer of your light.
This is a daily call. Every morning you wake up, you have a choice. Will you walk in the darkness you once were, or will you walk in the light you now are? Will you live according to your old nature or your new identity? The call is always, "Awake. Arise. Let Christ shine on you."

As you close this week's devotional series, return to where we began: You are God's beloved child. Christ is your love and your light. You're not trying to become something you're not. You're learning to live as who you already are in Christ.