Jump Start # 213

1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

  Daytime—nighttime. Paul in this section of Thessalonians makes a contrast between daytime and nighttime. He uses the expressions, “night,” “darkness” at least six times in just a few verses. Day and night. There are differences. Some of us are morning people, who get up at the crack of dawn with trumpets blowing. That’s me. Others are night owls. They stay up real late and don’t seem to get going until most of us have already gone to bed.

  There are day activities and night activities. I wouldn’t recommend going on a hike in the middle of the night—rather hard to see. Cutting your yard at midnight isn’t a good idea. Most businesses are open in the day. Not too many of us go to the dentist at 2 in the morning unless there is a real emergency. But if you want to go catch some lightning bugs you have to do that at sunset. Going out at noon, you’ll come home empty. Day and night.

  Paul is using these words to describe the spirituality of people. Day people are the followers of Christ. Paul said, “you are all sons of light and sons of day” (v. 5). Again, he said, “but since we are of the day…” (v. 8). The night represented those not in Christ. Those in darkness are not alert of what is going on around them. Mostly, they are not awake spiritually. Jesus used similar thoughts in John 3. There He said, the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. In other places, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” John told us to “walk in the light as He is in the light.” Daytime and nighttime people…those who are following Christ and those who are not.

  I’ve noticed something about daytime people and nighttime people…they don’t get each other. Given a chance and a choice, there are some who would like to sleep in on a Saturday until noon or later. For them, that is a great way to spend a day off. Early morning folks, like me, nearly explode at such ideas. By noon the day is half over. A person has wasted it just sleeping in bed. There are things to do. Get up and get at it! That’s the way my internal clock works. If I’m in bed past 9:00 in the morning, someone better take my pulse. I’ve probably checked out of life! But on the other side, there are those who love to watch movies and play games at 2:00 in the morning. I need industrial strength toothpicks to keep my eyes open that late. Daytime people and nighttime people.

  I’ve also noticed that spiritual daytime people do not understand those of the night spiritually. Why is it that some don’t want to come to church services? I have a hard time with that one. Why do some not just want to sit down and talk about the Bible? That’s a great thing to do. Just saying that to some nighttime people and they’ll run the other way. No interest. Nighttime spiritual people have a bent on doing the very things that Jesus wouldn’t do. It doesn’t bother them in the least. I guess that’s why they are nighttime.

  Paul’s words were not a means to get nighttime people to live in the day, rather, they are reminders to the daytime people, the Christians, that they need to keep alert, sober and serious about Jesus. Others don’t understand you. God does.

  We are of the daytime! Good reminder of days when it seems to get darker earlier and earlier.

Roger