2-22-06 1 Corinthians 15:34

1 Corinthians 15:34 (KJ21)
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

1 Corinthians 15:34 (NAS)
Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

1 Corinthians 15:34 (NIVUS)
Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God— I say this to your shame.

1 Corinthians 15:34 (NLT)
Come to your senses and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t even know God.

When a person drinks an excessive amount of alcohol, he soon finds that his senses are not as sharp as they are when he has not been drinking. His thoughts and feelings become fuzzy. His reflexes are not as quick and he walks around in a stupor. Nothing seems clear to him. The same is true for a believer, who was once free from sin, but gets entangled in its snare again.

When the Lord God makes you righteous, you are able to see things equitably and justly. You have a clarity that you never experienced previously. However, if you allow yourself to fall into old habit patterns, things become cloudy and you end up in a spiritual stupor. In this state, you look and act no differently than the drunk on the street.

If you see this happening in your life, you must rouse yourself and wake up. You must be vigilant to keep yourself sober and watchful, for there are people observing your life. Many of these are ignorant and have no knowledge of God. They can only perceive and understand Adonai through what they see in you. It is, therefore, shameful for you to live unrighteously, which brings confusion to others.

Therefore, choose today to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Choose to live like the new creation that you are.