Ready for The Return

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (I Thessalonians 5)
How to be ready for something that will catch everyone by surprise.  When life is chaotic, everyone expects the End to come. It is when everything settles back down that we become most vulnerable.  The suddenness of The Day means that we must first of all be Alert at all times, looking and ready for Christ to return. Secondly, we need Armor, not to protect ourselves from Him, but to live life daily as we wait. This armor, however, his not metal, but spiritual: faith, love, and hope.  It's interesting how Paul's letters tailor-fit the churches. In his letter to Corinth he has the order as faith, hope, and love, when love is the one they most lacked. Here "hope" is in last place, because though they demonstrated all three, the one the needed more of was hope.  Finally we need one Another - to encourage and build each other up in our faith.  Looking for Christ to come for us should not be a selfish thing where we are willing to leave each other behind.  We should care that others are strong and stable, and continue to reach out to those outside the body of Christ to come be ready as well.  How ready are we really?