As we evaluate how well we have coped with special challenges we’ve faced in our lives most of us realize we have not been as well prepared as we thought. In 1st Thessalonians 5:1-5 we saw that to do better in the future we need to know the truth. We will do better at that if we listen to God rather than men.
In addition to this Paul says we should be alert and self controlled. He helps us understand what he means in verse 6 by saying we should not be like those who are mentally and morally asleep, merely drifting through life. The world is in darkness and reeling in drunkenness and despair. By God’s grace He has awakened us with the truth. Understanding the times in which we live wakes us up so that we are alert, attentive to what is happening around us.
Rather than getting sucked into the deluded way of the world we should be self controlled. What does he mean by this? He says in verse 8, “putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” This reminds me of what Paul said in chapter 1 verse 3, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Faith, love and hope. These three qualities produce activities that glorify God and advance His kingdom. They also protect us from the dangers surrounding us in the world in which we live. They are our armor, provided by God that we should always have on, if we want to live victoriously in difficult times.
