Daily Devotion, October 21, 2020

 

Devotion: Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.

Preparing for my first year of teaching at a middle school, a Middle School Specialist at a nearby university gave me many creative ideas for classroom discipline. But one sentence in our conversation made all the difference for the year ahead. He said, “All discipline should lead to self-discipline.”

I hear this theme in Paul’s writing to the church at Thessalonica. I hear Paul saying in summary, “Live ready. Live in the light, faith, hope and love of Christ which you have been given, so that you are always prepared to meet Christ.” And Paul gives assurance, “He died for us so that, whether awake or asleep, we may live together with him.”

There is a huge difference between living in fear of Christ’s return and living in Christ’s love and light; loving and serving others. The difference changes our “why”.

This Thessalonians passage reflects two gospel passages from Matthew 24:43 and Luke 12:39-40. In The Message translation, the passage from Luke 12 says, “Lucky the servants whom the Master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at a table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter the time of night he arrives; they’re awake---and so blessed!“

Luke’s picture moves us from the fears of a “thief in the night” to an anticipation of the Lord’s day which is filled with hope!

We return to what it means to “be prepared”. In verse 3, the reference to “labor pains of a pregnant woman” reminds me of all the preparations we make for a new baby! It is a day we look toward with great anticipation!

This day of the Lord is also a day we can look toward with great anticipation! We follow Christ’s teaching in every way, out of gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice for us. It can be overwhelming, but I really like Bishop Reuben P. Job’s little book, Three Simple Rules, A Wesleyan Way of Living. These three simple rules are: “1. Do no harm, 2. Do good, and 3. Stay in love with God.” And by God’s grace in Christ that “whether awake or asleep, we may live together with him.” Personal Worship Option: Loving God, help us today to be an answer to another’s prayer so that we may be one of your signs of hope in the world you love. (From Three Simple Rules)