Like the rest of men, who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 NIV
Millions of people today have no hope.
It is very significant that in the next chapter, Paul goes on to describe a person living in the darkness: Those who “belong to the night or to the darkness…Those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night” (5:5, 7).
Why is it that so many people are addicted to alcohol? Why are so many people using drugs? For many people there just doesn’t seem to be any hope.
Maybe you are using drugs or you are dependent on alcohol. You would not continue to do this to yourself if you were really happy. So, why do you do it? Isn’t it because you feel overwhelmed? You cannot see a way out. Life seems so bleak, so pointless, so hopeless.
Paul speaks about those who “belong to the night or to the darkness.” Darkness consumes you when you have no hope, and some people take their character from the darkness. You hide from God. You love secrecy. You have an instinctive aversion to the light that the gospel brings. “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Here is a picture of what it is like when you belong to the darkness. It is a life without hope.
Have you struggled with addiction? If so, can you see the connection between your addiction and your unhappiness?
