Awake and return to righteousness.

  1 Corinthians 15:33-34

33 Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.  34 Awake [from your drunken stupor and return] to sober sense and your right minds, and sin no more. For some of you have not the knowledge of God [you are utterly and willfully and disgracefully ignorant, and continue to be so, lacking the sense of God’s presence and all true knowledge of Him]. I say this to your shame.

Deception and misleading are all over the church these days - and as Paul says, it is to our shame because we aught to know better.  Paul calls out two things as causes for our state of deception.

1.  Keeping evil companionship that corrupts our morals and character, and

2. An utter and willful ignorance - not having the knowledge of God - and thus by implication also not having the presence of God either.

It is in this context that Paul urges us to AWAKE - but not from sleep - rather from a drunken stupor!  He calls us into our right minds and admonishes us to SIN NO MORE. 

Point to ponder:  

Which evil companionships do we harbour that corrupts our morals and characters? 

Are we growing in our knowledge and obedience of God, or are we willfully ignorant because we want to continue to engage in things that the Word of God clearly spells out as wrong?  

Can we ask the Lord to WAKE US UP out of this drunken stupor we are in?  

Awake my Soul - Chris Tomlin