Not Surprised – November 11, 2026
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 (EHV)
Not Surprised
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You just get done pouring yourself a tall glass of orange juice. You walk out of the kitchen doorway, when all of a sudden your brother is in your face and yells “Ahh!” to scare you. It works. You now have orange juice all over your face and shirt. You stand there stunned with juice dripping down into a puddle on the floor. Grrr . . . your brother is quite a prankster. He tries to pull this stuff all of the time. If only you had remembered that and had been ready.
Did you know that people walk around all day and go about their lives unaware of the surprise that’s coming on the Last Day? And on that day, orange juice won’t be all over their faces, it’ll be shame. And this is no prank. This is something God has warned and told the world about for a long, long time. He will judge the world. He tells people to be ready for it. Yet so many ignore the warnings, and they’ll be in for a big surprise someday.
Will you? As Christians, we too can fail to pay attention, we get distracted, and we ignore the warnings God gives. Instead of being ready, we can let the fun things in this life take our focus away from God. We can fall into a pattern of sinning, thinking it’s no big deal and that there’s no real harm. We can go about life as if there’s plenty of time to turn back to God and be ready. And then— “Ahh!”—the Last Day comes and it’s judgment time for God. Will that be you?
Not if you remain alert. And how do you do that? By “putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). This is a picture of battle armor. As sin and the world fight against you to take your focus off of Christ, your faith and hope in Jesus can protect you. By remembering the threat of your sins and by trusting in what Jesus did for you, you can be ready for the Last Day. You have the sure hope that God has saved you.
This means that you won’t sit there on that day with a look of surprise and shame on your face. Instead, you will have a big smile because the salvation you were waiting for has finally arrived!
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, continue to work in my heart so I can always be alert and ready for Jesus’ return. Protect my heart and mind with faith in my salvation and always point me to Christ as I await that day. In his name I confidently pray. Amen.
The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.
Questions for Younger Children
- Why is it important to listen to warnings?
- Who do we have faith in, and what did he do to save us?
Questions for Elementary Age Children
- What will God do on the Last Day?
- What are some things you can do to stay alert and ready for that day?
Questions for Middle School and Above
- What will happen to people who aren’t ready for Jesus’ return?
- In what ways can we help our family and friends stay alert and be ready?
