{"id":228519,"date":"2024-01-11T13:45:47","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T18:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liveoriginal.com\/?p=228519"},"modified":"2024-08-08T10:36:50","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T14:36:50","slug":"wake-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liveoriginal.com\/wake-up\/","title":{"rendered":"WAKE UP!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you this month’s post from our LO sister member, Grace Novak! If you want to be a part of this incredible community, you can join today HERE<\/a>! Hope to see you there, friend!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, enjoy today’s post from Grace \ud83d\ude42\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear those beloved by God (every one of you!),<\/p>\n

“WAKE-UP O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!” Ephesians 5:14.<\/p>\n

I am taking a dual enrollment online class with Hillsdale college. I have been loving it. The only issue I have with this class is that it\u2019s at ten AM Michigan time. In Michigan, this is great. In Arizona, this means that I have to wake up at 6 or 6:30 to get to class on time. Ultimately, I\u2019ve grown to enjoy the peaceful morning solitude!<\/p>\n

Last Monday, I set my alarm for 6:15 because I wanted to review class readings before the Zoom call. My alarm rang me out of a deep and pleasant slumber, and I turned the noise off. Instead of rolling out of bed and getting ready for the day, I thought, \u201cjust a few more minutes\u2026.\u201d and drifted back off into dreamland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s been there? I fell completely back asleep. Somehow, by the grace of God I guess or maybe because my subconscious is stronger than I realized, I jolted upright in a panic at literally 6:56. Before, I always thought that I needed at least 30 minutes to get ready for the day, but on Monday I learned that I can do it in 4 minutes when pressured. Somehow, I made it to class on time, but it was WAYYYYY closer of a call than I would have liked!<\/p>\n

Now I know this story is not a big deal on any level. So why am I telling you this? Because of how relevant it is.<\/p>\n

We live in a culture of gray area. Truth is subjective. Gender is subjective. Sexuality is subjective. Life is subjective. Literally everything is subjective. What even is truth? Matt Walsh\u2019s \u201cWhat is a Woman?\u201d film became super popular last year because it\u2019s strikingly relevant. How insane is it that you even have to ask \u201cwhat is a woman?\u201d While it can sometimes seem like this era of subjectivity is true in all areas of life, let me be the first to tell you that it is NOT. Unlike our world where the gray area is becoming the popular place to be, Scripture is extraordinarily black and white. There is NO MIDDLE GROUND.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always loved reading magazines. Sometimes they come with a little test in them that is supposed to tell you about your personality or something. They\u2019re silly and fun. Every once in a while, there will be a list of opposite things where you\u2019re supposed to circle the one that is \u201cmore you.\u201d For example, it\u2019ll say \u201cpeanut butter vs. jelly\u201d or \u201ccoffee vs. tea\u201d or \u201cspring vs. fall\u201d with all these cute little illustrations. Then I\u2019ll go through and circle \u201cpeanut butter,\u201d \u201ctea,\u201d and \u201cfall.\u201d It\u2019s actually pretty entertaining \ud83d\ude42 This little checklist also works with the opposites that Scripture highlights. I\u2019ll list them out. The Bible makes it clear that we can only be one of the two (NOT BOTH), so which one are we?<\/p>\n

ARE YOU\u2026.<\/p>\n

LIGHT or DARKNESS John 3:19-22; John 8:12<\/p>\n

WISE or FOOLISH Ephesians 5:15-17; Proverbs 14:15-25<\/p>\n

OF GOD or OF THE WORLD Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17<\/p>\n

RIGHTEOUS or WICKED Psalm 36:16; Psalm 37:13-22<\/p>\n

SAVED or CONDEMNED Mark 16:16; John 3:18<\/p>\n

AWAKE or ASLEEP Ephesians 5:14; Luke 21:36; Romans 13:11<\/p>\n

In the Gospels, Jesus begins to call His followers. He meets people and simply says, \u201cfollow me.\u201d Some do, and some don\u2019t. It\u2019s very black and white. Quite simple. Yet there are a few who echo the gray area that is so common today. In Luke 9:59-62, we see two examples.<\/p>\n\n\t\t