March 17 - 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

March 17 - 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

We belong to the day.

My sister accuses me of living in a cave.  I like plenty of light at my work space  but the rest of the house can be in darkness for all I care.  I prefer light from my windows to overhead illumination and when the sun sets, I’m fine with a few lamps around my desk.

Now, honestly, a great deal of this comes from growing up during the energy crisis in the seventies.  Dad was forever telling us to turn lights off if we weren't in a room and it became much more ingrained in me than I ever could have realized.  I flip light switches off all the time. It makes me nuts to have a room lit up with no one doing anything in there.

My preferred time of the year is winter, with its short days and long nights; I prefer to sleep during the day and will stay up until the very early morning when I’m working on a project.  My friends and family tell me they are worried I might have vampiric tendencies.  I just like working when everyone else is sleeping so they don’t distract me.

As much as I love being awake at night, I think the reason I am so comfortable there is because I belong to the day.  I am not frightened by things in the night … well, sometimes coyotes and hoot owls force me to make sure the house is closed up tightly … but, in metaphysical terms, I’m not afraid of darkness.

My hope and salvation is found in the God of love and light. He doesn't sleep and has given me protection from those things that haunt the darkest parts of my mind.  Paul tells the Thessalonians to put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation.  We are saved from eternal darkness because of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Whether we are awake or asleep we live with him.

Jesus said he is the light of the world.  We belong to him.  We belong to the light. We belong to the day.