Day 23: Children of the Light

Jeremiah 19:1-21:14

1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

Psalm 82:1-8

Proverbs 25:9-10

I was already so moved by 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 yesterday and finishing off 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 today was even more encouraging.

v. 2-5

"for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness."

The part that says "while people are saying 'peace and safety' reminded me of the passage in Jeremiah 6: "They [priests and prophets] dress the wounds of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace."

We know as believers we are to "proclaim peace" but we cannot make it up! We have to proclaim the peace that already exists, not the peace of our own imagination. We have to proclaim the peace that is real.

As children of the light, children of the day, we can see clearly enough to call things what they are. We don't see the world cloaked in confusing darkness where we have to shout out "peace, peace" on a fragile, made-up hope that it is real. No, we bring the real peace, we bring "this little light of mine" everywhere we go.

We don't have to be afraid of even the darkest places, the most fearsome places in this world, because we bring light, truth, real peace to proclaim with us. And we don't need to fear going to deep dark places in this world because we do not fear death.

Darkness exists. As children of the light, we know this. And in that clear knowledge we do not call it "peace." Won't you join us here in true peace that surpasses understanding?

We who believe in Jesus, who have the Holy Spirit as our guide, and the confidence of being a child of God, we are excited for the Day of the Lord Jesus. We are ready for it, though we do not know when He is coming, we know we will be with Him and we are not afraid: we are excited.

Lord, may my eyes be open, may I proclaim true peace and allow me to be a light in the darkness.