As Paul the
apostle shared with the Thessalonian church members, he spoke of the
sudden appearing of “the day of the Lord”. This day was to
come “as a thief in the night” when people would be
declaring “peace and safety”, and though many will attempt
to escape that day, their efforts will fail. Paul went on to say this
day should not “overtake” the Thessalonians like an
unexpected thief, and in chapter five and verse five of his letter,
he likened them to “children of the light” where we read:
You are
all the children of light, and the children of the day:
we are not
of the night, nor of darkness.
The
verse begins, “You are all the children of light, and the
children of the day:” Paul
began with the words, “You are all”
which refers to “each, every, all and the whole group of” the
Thessalonian church members “the children”
or “those whom God esteems as sons, whom he loves, protects
and benefits above others” “of
light” which literally means
“brightness and luminous” and metaphorically means “truth and
it's knowledge together with the spiritual purity associated with it”
“and the children”
or “those whom God esteems as sons, whom he loves, protects and
benefits above others” “of the day”
which literally refers to “the natural day, or the interval between
sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the
night” and metaphorically refers to “the time for abstaining from
indulgence, vice and crime because acts of this sort are perpetrated
at night and in the darkness”.
The
verse continues, “we are not of the night, nor of
darkness.” Paul went on to
add, “we are not” which
refers to Paul, his companions and the Thessalonian church members to
whom he is writing, “of the night”
which means “the time for deeds of sin, shame, stupidity and
drunkenness” “nor of darkness”
or “ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and
the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their
consequent misery in hell”. Paul
affirmed that he, his companions and the Thessalonians had no part in
the sinful and shameful deeds which were immoral and ungodly and
would eventually have consequences of “misery in hell”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, one thing is certain, we want
to be “children of the light”
and not those in “darkness”.
Many people will think themselves to be “enlightened” when “the
day of the Lord” appears,
however, their evil deeds of sin and shame actually keep them in a
state of “darkness”.
Basically the “fruit” of a person's life and actions dictates
whether they are “in the light”
or in the “dark”.
Those who are in “darkness”
and do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will
be suddenly surprised when the Lord Jesus comes again. Though they
may think themselves aware, they will be caught off guard when He
returns. While we ponder these things, let us be reminded of what the
apostle John wrote in his first letter in chapter one and verse
seven:
if we walk
in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another,
and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonians not to “sleep as
others”, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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