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
These people get it. They know what to watch for and how to be prepared when the day of the Lord comes (and I don't mean they've built and stocked bunkers under their homes.) They aren't afraid like a child in the dark without a flashlight. Their eyes are open, their hope secure and their minds and hearts ready for what may come.
We too, are children of the light and day, awake and ready. We choose what we live out in this world, just like we choose what to wear in the morning. We, too, "put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." If we expect a chilly reception from a co-worker, we can choose to put on the warm kindness of love. When we expect harsh words of judgment, we can offer back the hope we have in Christ.
Prayer
Wake me up to the lives of the people around me. Help me see from their perspective and keep a level head when my first reaction is anger. Instead, may I reflect my hope in Christ. Amen.