Awake my heart

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

AWAKE MY HEART

Prov 20:13

13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

NIV

It is possible this could be seen as being asleep means poverty and being awake means prosperity. That we are to make hay while the sun is shining. That it is the intent we should not focus on slumber, but on making money. But there is far more to this context than that simple and most likely incorrect conclusion. A lover of sleep is a slothful person, one who does not see the value in an honest day’s work. Our society has developed an atmosphere of dependency upon the government for daily food among as many as it can. This is done to exert power over them to control thier vote in order for the haves to continue in their position of power. This is the same type of scheme the devil uses with temptations in order to influence people to become dependent upon certain sins for their pleasure. God has declared that is because of Adam's sin, he would toil the ground by the sweat of his brow all the days of his life. We are from the line of Adam, and we have gone astray by seeking sleep, slumber from our labor all the days of our life. We are to stay awake, work, work and work, never to slumber from work. This society of just recent years, compared to the total time of man’s existence, has worked itself into needed a time to quite work and slumber, we call it retirement, but it is but a period of slumber. We strive for it, we plan for it, and we store up as much as we can for it, but in reality we become sleepers. Now the spiritual application is the best way to look at this proverb. If we love sleep, which is not being awake to the voice of the Spirit, we are indeed poor. If we slumber regarding the Word of God, if we are asleep we cannot read it, nor understand its meaning. God’s word is food for our soul.

Matt 4:4

4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 

NIV

How can we eat from the word that comes from the mouth of God, if we love sleep? If we are awake we will have more than enough food from his mouth. In fact, enough to spare. That would mean we have enough to share. If we have enough to spare we have more then we need so we can share the food of God with others. Let us not be wooed to sleep by the songs of the devil. Let us not hear his lullaby. Let us remain awake drinking from the spring of living water and eating from the Word of God and we shall have food aplenty.

Jesus gave us this example when he was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. When his disciples returned with earthly food his response gives us the reason for this view of this proverb.

John 4:31-38

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."  33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." 

NIV