Last year a couple in South Korea chose to escape the discouragement of unemployment by playing a virtual reality game at a local Internet café. The game provided faux careers and even a virtual child they named Anima. The problem was, while they were playing online, their real, human baby was left at home. Daily, they would give the baby some powdered milk mixed with water and then head to the café. One day, after a 12-hour virtual game session, they came home and found their 3-month-old baby had died . . . of malnutrition. The little girl had never even been named.

This tragic account of escapism (and neglect) reminds me of the church at Sardis (Revelation 3). Most of the believers in the church were spiritually “dead” (Revelation 3:1). William Barclay writes: “Sardis was a city of peace, not the peace won through battle, but ‘the peace of the man whose dreams are dead and whose mind is asleep, the peace of lethargy and evasion.’” Many believers in Sardis had left behind living boldly for Jesus and had escaped to what was cozy and convenient.

Sardis had once been a commercially and politically powerful center. But twice in its history, Sardis’ seemingly impregnable walls had been breached and the city had been taken by enemies. Now its church was falling asleep and falling into sinful pursuits (Revelation 3:2).

In contrast to the watchmen who had let down their guard and allowed the city to be sacked, God called His drifting people to “go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to Me again” (Revelation 3:3).

God’s solemn words might be just the wake-up call we need to turn from our escapism and begin living for Christ again. There’s no escaping our need for pure, victorious faith (Revelation 3:5).

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Daniel 1:1-21