1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NRSV)
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 5Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. Verse 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Verse 3When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! Verse 4But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; Verse 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.
Verse 6So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; Verse 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. Verse 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. Verse 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Verse 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.
Verse 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
Devotion
Paul warns the church that God's plans are not predictable. The moment we become comfortable and complacent in our faith, things change. Matthew's Gospel is filled with parables that confront our complacency and challenge our narrow expectations with the wideness of God's mercy.
As my due date approached in February, I became accustomed to my wide saunter and the happy kicks that would wake me up at night. I liked being pregnant and had grown to trust this little barnacle as an ally in daily life. But all that comfort was turned upside down the night he decided to make a break for it. My little comrade started rebelling and suddenly every comfort and familiarity was gone!
Prayer
God, keep our eyes from glazing over and our ears perked up. Your salvation comes when we least expect it and change can seem so destructive when we are unprepared. Guide us through transitions and pain with confidence, that with your sudden presence, comes new life. Amen.