“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
Romans 13:11-12
Last week I wrote about the place in life of auto-pilot. The space where we do what we do, when we do what we do. It’s a place of status-quo, where we fall into the patterns and habits that we don’t even think about for good or bad. Jesus offers us more than auto-pilot in John 10:10 saying, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” So what does life to the full look like?
Paul offers us this advice in Romans 13, it sounds simple at first wake up!!! If we are honest most of us go through the motions more than we would like at work and home. We run on little sleep, and work to make it through the day rushing from event to event. For live into the abundant life that Jesus offers us, it starts by waking up, and becoming aware of our auto-pilot.
Does your temper flair when you are on auto-pilot?
Do you distance yourself from others when you are on auto-pilot?
Are you more prone to engage in conflict when you are on auto-pilot?
Everyone’s auto-pilot is different, but the beginning of living into the abundant life Christ offers us is to wake up and become aware of the reality around us. Then we can begin to intentionally life differently, and to break from the patterns of our auto-pilot. It is a hard and long road. Becoming aware of your auto-pilot is just the beginning, but before you can see to establish different patterns you have to know what patterns you already have.
Pastor Bill
- What do you do when you are on auto-pilot?
- What is one aspect of your auto-pilot you want to more intentional about working on?