And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Today's Thought: The people of God should be wide awake and alert all the time.
In colonial America, church services last long hours. Churches had ushers with long sticks to rouse sleepers. Obadiah Turner wrote about Allen Bridges, a church usher who had a fox tail and thorn on his long stick.
On the last Lord’s day, as he strutted about the meetinghouse, he did spy Mr. Tomlins sleeping with much comfort, his head kept steady by being in the corner, and his hand grasping the rail. And so spying, Allen did quickly thrust his staff behind Dame Ballard and give him a grievous prick upon the hand.
“Whereupon Mr. Tomlins did spring up much above the floor and with terrible force strike his hand against the wall; and also to the great wonder of all, profanely exclaim in a loud voice, ‘Curse ye, woodchuck!’ He was dreaming so it seemed that a woodchuck had seized and bit his hand. But on coming to know where he was, and the great scandal he had committed, he seemed much abashed, but did not speak. And I think he will not soon again go to sleep in worship.
People may laugh about those who fall asleep in church. However,there is nothing funny about a Christian who is not alert of the impending threat and the need of others to know the Lord Jesus Christ. We often do not realize the seriousness of the threats and the necessity of spiritual warfare we are into.
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