BBD 07.09.21 Sleepy People (Classic)

#1 · July 9, 2021, 10:34 am

Quote from Forum Archives on July 9, 2021, 10:34 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

09 July 2021

Sleepy People

Now on
the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message
until midnight. ...And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who
was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued
speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went
down, fell on him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not trouble yourselves, for his
life is in him.’ - Acts 20:7,9-10.

It can
be dangerous to fall asleep in church, or even in a courtroom. Danielle
Davidson found out about the hazards of sleeping in court when she dozed off
after staying up late, several nights studying for college exams. The judge
found her sleeping to be disturbing because the people in the courtroom were
laughing at her and he sentenced her to spend two days in jail. I’ve done my
share of sleeping in church (Never in court - usually too much tension.) and I
think it is because it is such a peaceful place. But some preachers especially
in generations gone by were intolerant of people sleeping while they were
preaching.

At the
church where I pastor (in 2002), a previous pastor had just started his sermon,
and noticed some people were already asleep. He must have been a little upset
because he stopped preaching and went home telling them if they were going to
sleep, they could just sleep. One of those who was there, said that it was such
a shock, that he woke up after the preacher said that.

Eutychus
and Paul had the ultimate sleeping in church experience. Can you imagine
falling asleep during a sermon, dying and coming back to life with the apostle
Paul lying on top, hugging you? And depending on whether you went to Heaven or
Hell while you were dead it could be even a greater shock! You have to
think that Eutychus must have resolved to never, ever, to sleep in church
again!

Of far greater consequence than falling asleep in church, or even in a
courtroom, is that of falling asleep to the spiritual realities of life. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 8, "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do,
but let us watch and be sober. …But let us who are of the day be sober, putting
on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” We should be constantly aware that there is a spiritual side to all
of life.

Our
Father is at work, and we should be constantly seeking, to see if we might
somehow join Him in that work. There are those who are going out into eternity
without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We should be standing in the gap
through prayer, through witnessing, through giving, and through service holding
back the lost from perishing. "…watch and
be sober” be ready for action, be ready to "warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the
weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but
always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18).”

Have
you been asleep? Wake up! There is much to do!

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman’ Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Todd
Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who
has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana
Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Bill S.; Nannie R.; Shonda
Hutson; and Sharon H.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

09 July 2021

Sleepy People

Now on
the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message
until midnight. ...And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who
was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued
speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went
down, fell on him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not trouble yourselves, for his
life is in him.’ - Acts 20:7,9-10.

It can
be dangerous to fall asleep in church, or even in a courtroom. Danielle
Davidson found out about the hazards of sleeping in court when she dozed off
after staying up late, several nights studying for college exams. The judge
found her sleeping to be disturbing because the people in the courtroom were
laughing at her and he sentenced her to spend two days in jail. I’ve done my
share of sleeping in church (Never in court - usually too much tension.) and I
think it is because it is such a peaceful place. But some preachers especially
in generations gone by were intolerant of people sleeping while they were
preaching.

At the
church where I pastor (in 2002), a previous pastor had just started his sermon,
and noticed some people were already asleep. He must have been a little upset
because he stopped preaching and went home telling them if they were going to
sleep, they could just sleep. One of those who was there, said that it was such
a shock, that he woke up after the preacher said that.

Eutychus
and Paul had the ultimate sleeping in church experience. Can you imagine
falling asleep during a sermon, dying and coming back to life with the apostle
Paul lying on top, hugging you? And depending on whether you went to Heaven or
Hell while you were dead it could be even a greater shock! You have to
think that Eutychus must have resolved to never, ever, to sleep in church
again!

Of far greater consequence than falling asleep in church, or even in a
courtroom, is that of falling asleep to the spiritual realities of life. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 8, "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do,
but let us watch and be sober. …But let us who are of the day be sober, putting
on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” We should be constantly aware that there is a spiritual side to all
of life.

Our
Father is at work, and we should be constantly seeking, to see if we might
somehow join Him in that work. There are those who are going out into eternity
without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We should be standing in the gap
through prayer, through witnessing, through giving, and through service holding
back the lost from perishing. "…watch and
be sober” be ready for action, be ready to "warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the
weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but
always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18).”

Have
you been asleep? Wake up! There is much to do!

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

http://www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman’ Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Todd
Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who
has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana
Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Bill S.; Nannie R.; Shonda
Hutson; and Sharon H.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org