"Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
I really like a lot of things here. The idea of being the children of light is awesome. And we are, as children of God, who is the light of the world, and who asks us to be as well. I also love the imagery of faith and love as a breastplate and hope as a helmet, because those things *do* protect us from so much in this world. And if we let go of them and lose them, we open ourselves up to deep wounds.
I think sometimes that we feel like we are of the night or of darkness. It's hard to always feel like we are light and good and not like we want to run and hide. I think this verse helps with that feeling a little bit: "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8). The initial verse reminds us that we aren't of the night, but this verse recognizes that we may have been in the past. Being children of light and belonging to God is something that we get to choose, even if we have wandered off in the darkness. We can walk back, and still choose light.
God isn't advocating going without sleep completely here, by the way... it's more of a don't sleep while you are on watch thing. We watch for the Lord's return, and if we sleep or get drunk while on duty, we'll miss it entirely. Today, let's keep in touch with God and make sure that we know what he wants us to do, and try not to fall down on the job, or wander off into the darkness. Let's choose to be the children of light, and stand up for Goodness and Love and Faith and Hope, knowing that they will protect us in the dark days to come.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
I really like a lot of things here. The idea of being the children of light is awesome. And we are, as children of God, who is the light of the world, and who asks us to be as well. I also love the imagery of faith and love as a breastplate and hope as a helmet, because those things *do* protect us from so much in this world. And if we let go of them and lose them, we open ourselves up to deep wounds.
I think sometimes that we feel like we are of the night or of darkness. It's hard to always feel like we are light and good and not like we want to run and hide. I think this verse helps with that feeling a little bit: "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8). The initial verse reminds us that we aren't of the night, but this verse recognizes that we may have been in the past. Being children of light and belonging to God is something that we get to choose, even if we have wandered off in the darkness. We can walk back, and still choose light.
God isn't advocating going without sleep completely here, by the way... it's more of a don't sleep while you are on watch thing. We watch for the Lord's return, and if we sleep or get drunk while on duty, we'll miss it entirely. Today, let's keep in touch with God and make sure that we know what he wants us to do, and try not to fall down on the job, or wander off into the darkness. Let's choose to be the children of light, and stand up for Goodness and Love and Faith and Hope, knowing that they will protect us in the dark days to come.
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