Instant coffee was mentioned the other day, taking me back to my old college days. I was a freshman in Newberry Dorm in the fall of 1968 at Henderson State University. College life can keep you awake all hours of the night, but the classes and the tests still come, whether you were sleepy or not. Instant coffee in the dorm room was a staple. With no coffee pot, I had to find another way to heat the water. The solution was a little aluminum element that hung onto the edge of the cup and went right down into the coffee cup filled with water. It did not have a switch or an automatic cut off. You just plugged it into the electrical wall plug and it would heat up a cup of water right quick, and then you unplugged it. Now, I’ve always been able to drop right off to sleep in a minute or two, particularly when I’m real tired or sleepy. I was really enjoying my little water heater, but one day, in the few minutes it took to heat up a cup of water, I dropped off to sleep. I don’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up to get my hot cup of water, what I found in the bottom of my cup was a black mass of molten aluminum on the end of the little element. That little jigger had boiled the water out and melted the end together before it shorted out. I finally found another one and made every effort to keep it going, but the same thing happened to that one, too. I gave up on the idea, figuring it was too dangerous for me to operate. I think I just settled for the hot water from the community showers, which was not all that hot. We can fall asleep spiritually. When we do, something will burn. We can be very active in church, but be asleep spiritually. Jesus said to watch and pray. We can be lulled into a spiritual sleep in which we are in bed with the world thinking all is well and we have good intentions to do better, but there is no hunger and thirst after righteousness. Jesus said those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled. Righteousness is knowing and carrying the heart of God into the earth today. Seeking and saving the lost through the gospel of Jesus Christ, building each other up strong in the faith to carry out the will of God, being the bride spotless, without blemish or wrinkle, getting oneself ready to be presented to the King, living in the presence, the power and the liberty of the Spirit of God each day that we live – these are elements of righteousness. If we are not awake to see this being done, it all ends up a charred mass in the bottom of the cup. We must wake up, if we want to smell the coffee!