Living in the Spirit
August 23, 2018
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:10-17
Perhaps the shepherd boy David demonstrated the best taking off the armor of the world and putting on the whole armor of God. King Saul tried to dress David in the protective wear of the day and David found it too big and too heavy. He stepped out to face Goliath the giant with no armor, a slingshot, and five smooth stones. Purpose and practice are far more important than the conventional trappings of war.
The full armor of God is composed of truth, righteousness, walking in peace, faith, the gift of Christ, the power of the spirit, and the wisdom of the Word of God. We live in a world that is trying to convince us that truth is not truth and righteousness is subject to the person or situation. Sexual misconduct on the part of rich white males and priests can be ignored. Immigrants are all rapists and thus must be barred from our country or prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
If we clothe ourselves in Christ’s salvation, remain in constant contact with the Holy Spirit and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance while studying the Word of God which includes the Bible and the model of Jesus, we can overcome our fears and prejudices and fulfill our calling to love all of God’s children. What I have found over time is that people are very much alike throughout all strata of society. We are each capable of both good and evil, we are all impacted by our environments, and we are all capable of becoming the persons God created us to be. We do that better when we live fully into loving one another.
Prayer: Lord, dress us in your full armor as you prepare us to take your love to the ends of the earth. Amen.