FOLLOWING IN HIS STEPS - Part 4

 His Sleeping Habit

i. Jesus slept whenever there was time and opportunity. Mk. 4:35-38; Mk. 1:35
He slept inside the boat while travelling across the sea; He slept after a hard day’s labour, having attended to everyone who came to Him for help. Sleep brings physical refreshing to the body; so He slept when He could.

But He gave no priority to sleep. To Him, sleep is secondary even in the face of tiredness, if there was something to be done for God. He was not controlled by sleep. He controlled His sleep MK. 1:32-35, Lk. 22:46; Prov. 20:13

When there is a burden to pray or a service to render to God, Jesus pushed off sleep.

Jesus recognized divine timing even for sleeping: a time to sleep and a time to wake up and work. Mk. 14:37-41; Mk. 1:35; 1 Thess. 5:7; Prov. 10:5

Anyone who desires to follow Jesus and fulfil God’s purpose for His life must recognize divine timing for him to sleep and the time to wake up and work. A man who sleeps at a time the heavens expect him to work will soon come to poverty and be put to shame. Peter slept when he was supposed to pray; no wonder he entered into temptation and fell, denying Jesus three times.

He rebuked His disciples for sleeping when they were supposed to pray Lk. 9:32-35; Matt. 26:40-41

So will He rebuke you if you sleep when He expects you to do something else? Sleep must not become an idol in your heart, taking priority of your time and attention.

Further Biblical instructions about sleep. Psa. 127:2; Eccl. 5:12; Prov. 24:30-34. What lessons can you learn from these?

It is the Lord that gives sleep. But He gives sleep only to His beloved. When you are a lover of God, you don’t struggle to sleep. He gives you sound mind and sound sleep. But when you are a lover of something else: a lover of money, riches, popularity, position etc, sleep becomes difficult to find.

Now look at the definite effect of lack of self control over the affairs of those who love excessive sleep. It brings shame and poverty. Their works is always undone or halfway done. They do incomplete jobs, which often spoil and bring them to physical or spiritual poverty. Self control is part of the fruit of the Spirit. There is need to insist on controlling your sleep and not allow sleep to control you.

Conclusion:

When Jesus said “…and follow me” It means putting your feet where He puts His own, treading the path He has trod. Even if you do not understand what Christian life is all about, if you simply pattern your life after His own and imitate His lifestyle, you will not be wrong at all. He himself is the way – the right way of life.

Examine yourself and your habits and lifestyle in the light of His own. How do you fair on this heavenly scale?

QUESTION

1. How can a believer deny himself from sleep for the work of God sake? Explain.

2. What are the consequences of sleeping in excess?

3. How can one become both spiritually and physically poor by too much sleep? Explain

4. Give various instances of how sleep can become your idol?

5. Differentiate from our study the kind of sleep obtainable in the life of a believer and an unbelievable?

Worship with us on 

Sundays by 8:00am - Sunday special service,

Tuesdays by 5:00pm - Revival Hour

Thursdays by 5:00pm - Bible study