What is Watchfulness?
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Matthew 25:1
Read Matthew 25:1-10
Sometimes things happen in church which we can easily associate with not only because they are taught in the Word of God, but also because they are personally uncovering for us. Do you ever see people sleeping during a church service? Did you ever fall asleep, or are you sometimes inattentive during a sermon? Alas, these are things that happen in church. But the Lord says: Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light (Eph. 5:14).
For whom is this clarion call meant? For everyone of us; for, we are all sleepyheads. By nature, we are all spiritually dead because of our sins. That is why it is so necessary that we are awakened out of our sleep of death. But how is this possible if we are spiritually dead? It is only possible when a great miracle takes place in God’s kingdom: The dead shall hear the voice of the living God, and those that hear shall live! This occurs through the miracle of rebirth, when the Lord plants new life within us without any input from our side.
This miracle occurs when the Lord applies the seed of His Word to the heart through the Holy Spirit so that it germinates. This will then be seen in the fruit of faith and repentance. To be watchful actually means to be awakened. However, those who have been awakened must also be watchful. This is what the Lord Jesus teaches us in this parable.
Thought: Can we make generalizations about all church people? What is the dividing-line in the church? How do you get to the right side of this divide?
Psalter 421: 3 (based on Psalm 84) Blessed is the man whose strength Thou art, Thy ways are hidden in his heart, He treads the highway to Thy dwelling. Though passing through a vale of tears, Thy grace, O God, to him appears, With winged hope and power impelling. The wilderness, by showers blessed, Is now a pilgrim’s vale of rest.