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
All of us have blind spots. It is one thing to know we have them. It is quite another to be aware of what they are.
This points to the benefit of having close brothers and sisters in Christ. Within supportive small groups like Bible studies or prayer groups, we have friends who will encourage and challenge us. They will notice when we are getting close to the edge, whether it be the edge of despair, the edge of our resources or the edge of some disastrous choice. Good and true friends will stop us before it is too late. They will watch out for us, encourage us and build us up.
Prayer
Lord, we ask for friends who will stop us before we reach the edge. Protect us from our blind spots. Help us to listen to those who can see what we have missed. We humbly pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.