Be Prepared: The Armor of God Series

"To be prepared is half the victory" (Miguel de Cervantes).

   Those of you who know me know that I am a soccer player. I have played soccer for many years and used many cleats in that time. One time I was playing indoor soccer and I was warming up before the game. Suddenly one of the spikes on my cleat fell off. 
   If you ever played soccer you understand how much of a predicament this was. But, since I had been taught to push through whatever is going on, I played in the game. If you saw me during that game you might have thought I was drunk because when I ran I tipped to one side. I was not ready for the game.
   Roman soldiers wore comfortable shoes. If you've ever worn uncomfortable shoes you know how important it was for these soldiers to go into battle ready and comfortable.
   For the Christian, putting on the boots of readiness means that we are ready and willing to do whatever God calls us to do. Our equipment may be different depending on what we are called to do, but we still need to be ready.
   Does this mean that if God calls us to go preach the Gospel to cannibals in another country we won't be scared? No, it just means that if God calls us to do something then he has given us the proper equipment to do that job. We may be scared to do that job, but we will still do what he calls us to do because we trust in him. 
   The boots of readiness teach us that we need to be prepared to do what we are called to do. In order to be as prepared as possible we need to do what any solider does before battle-study and train. We must study the Bible so we know our enemy and how to combat him. We must train our minds and body to know what to do in whatever we are called to do (that may be different for each person).
   So, will you put on the boots of readiness and be prepared to do what God calls you to do? Will you study and train to be ready when God does call you? Will you trust in God's plan?

   1 Peter 3:15, Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 6:10-18

A Tale of Morals and Righteousness: The Armor of God Series

   “Our assurance is anchored in the love and grace of God expressed in the glorious exchange: our sin for His righteousness” (Tullian Tchividjian).

   The next piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. During battle, soldiers would normally use their sword and shield to block blows. However, sometimes an arrow or sword would sneak through and would hit the chest. Thus, the breastplate protected the most vital organ of all: the heart.

Human hearts are finicky. The heart needs protected because it is so important and because it can be turned easily.

   Righteousness is defined as “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin” (Merriam-Webster). In other words one must have a good moral compass in order to be righteous. How do we get morals? When we are young we are told stories that have morals in them.

   In my K5 class the Bible curriculum always tried to pull out a moral of the story. As a writer and reader I love to pull morals out of stories, thus why our church once did a Moral of the Story is VBS. Morals are important in society. If no one had morals then society would crumble. And yet, it is the people who choose to lie, cheat, and steal who are glorified while those who have morals are stomped on. At least, that is what it seems like. That may be why the heart is so finicky. We want what we want when we want it.

   Is it possible to have morals all the time if we have sinful desires? No, it is not possible to have morals all the time. Those of you who are wondering why I am saying this listen to this story. Once there was a man and his wife who lived in a farm in the country. It was a fairly secluded area and they did not get visitors often. One day a man knocked on the door and asked for help. The man said he needed to be hid. The farmer agreed. It was just how he was. He would help anyone who needed it. The guest went into the bathroom. A few minutes later another man knocked at the door. He asked the farmer if anyone had come by. The farmer had a choice. He could either rat the man in the bathroom out and not know what this other man would do to him, or he could lie. Either way the farmer would be party to some form of wrong. The farmer said he had not seen anyone. The man at the door went away. In order to save someone the man lied. He was not free from sin.

   As stated before, no one is ever totally righteous. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to have good morals. It is just important for us to realize that the only one who walked the earth who was righteous was Jesus. Because he was righteous, he covered our sins with is blood. That is why we can have the breastplate of righteousness. It isn’t our righteousness that covers us, it is his.

   So, do you realize that you can never truly be righteous without the blood of Jesus? Do you still try to choose to do the right thing? How can you guard your heart from the Devil’s lies?

   1 John 3:7, Romans 5:1-5, Ephesians 6
   Image from here.

What is Your Truth?: The Armor of God Series

   “Honesty (truth) is the first chapter in the book of wisdom” (Thomas Jefferson).

   The belt of truth is the first piece of armor in the armor of God. Why is the belt of truth so important? Nowadays we don’t see too many people wearing belts unless it is for a fashion statement. However, belts are a vital piece of clothing for some because if you do not have a belt you will be stuck holding your outfit together.

   Just like belts are vital so is truth in the life of a Christian. Unfortunately we have a tendency to forget, ignore, or manipulate the truth.

   I once heard a story of a girl who went to a counselor. Her counselor had met with the girl for a while and then the counselor asked to meet with her and her mom at the next meeting. The girl had been talking with the counselor about her life. She had made decisions about her life that her mom did not agree with. Her mom was trying to talk it out with the girl when the counselor stopped the mom and said, “that may be your truth but it is not her truth.”

   When I heard this story I couldn’t believe my ears. Our view of the truth has become so distorted that we now all have our own truths?! I thought truth was truth. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines truth as “the property of being in accord with fact or reality.” Truth must be fact. It must be real.

   For years people accepted the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Many people considered themselves Christians. Now everyone has their own idea of what to believe in so we call that truth? No, we need to get back to what truth actually is. Truth is just what I said before: fact.

   In the case of a true Christian the truth is the gospel. We believe that it is true and we accept it. Not only do we believe in the Gospel of Christ, but we also dispense of the Devil’s lies. Without the gospel of truth the whole outfit falls apart. We must believe it and know that it is true.

   So, do you believe that the Gospel is true? Do you know that Jesus is the only way? Will you choose to put on the belt of truth?

   John 14:6, John 8:32, Ephesians 6
   Image from here.

The Armor of God Series

   One part of scripture that is talked about a lot when we are children is the armor of God. Children like to hear about it because it is a tangible example of something they can see. They know what a soldier or a knight looks like. They think that soldiers are cool people and they want to put that armor on.

   When we become adults, we know about the armor but I'm not sure any of us really think "am I putting the armor of God on today?" Yet, we are called, as Christians, to put on the armor of God every day. It keeps us defended and helps us attack the devil at the same time. 
   Thus, why I decided to do a series on The Armor of God. It is so important that we realize that Christians need to put this on for battle. We are in a battle whether we know it, or admit it, or not.
   Here is your assignment for this week: read the Armor of God passage found in Ephesians 6:10-18. And, check out this catchy song for kids (I had to do an attention getter somehow, after all I am a teacher ;) https://youtu.be/dITBAdCdOVU 

   Ephesians 6:10-18
   Image from here.

Day of Rest: Labor Day

   Labor day: a day we take a break from work. For some people, they welcome the break. For others, they think the day is just a waste of time.

   In America, especially, I think we have a problem. Children do not get to spend time with their parents because parents work too much. College students need to work and go to school at the same time because they cannot afford their tuition. Friends cannot get together with friends because they are too busy with their jobs. Is work a bad thing? No, but I think we have become too busy.
   God created everything in 6 days. On the 7th day he rested. Did he rest because he needed it? No, he rested because he wanted to be an example for us. God knew that we would need rest.
   But, in America, we work all the time. Sometimes, when people work too much, it becomes unhealthy. People may work a lot for different reasons. They may work too much because they need money for bills. They may work too much because it brings them joy and they are good at their job. They may work too much because it keeps them from focusing on their problems. Or, they may work too much because work/money has become their idol. Any of these answers can be detrimental to people's health, family, friends, and relationship with God.
   If God rested to be an example for us, why can't we rest? We could use all the excuses in the world. But at the end of your life do you want to be alone with all your money, or do you want to have those you love around you and know that you have a good relationship with God? It is vital that Christians have a relationship with God because all of this is temporary. The only thing that truly matters at the end of our lives is that we have accepted Christ. Christians are called to follow Jesus' example. Even Jesus rested, why can't we?
   So, do you work too much? What can you do to be sure you are resting and following God?

   Genesis 2:2-3, Mark 2:27, Psalm 127:2

   Image from here. 

Tangled up in the World

   "The kingdom rejoiced! For the lost princess had returned..." Disney movies are some of my favorite things to watch. I know that there are some not so good things in them, but we can learn lessons from them.
   In the movie Tangled there is a lost princess named Rapunzel. She was taken from her home and raised by a woman, named Mother Gothel, who just wanted Rapunzel for her power. Rapunzel wanted to leave the Tower but Mother Gothel would not let her leave. Rapunzel meets a man who helps her leave the Tower to complete her dream. Of course there are trials on the way, but in the end Rapunzel realizes that she needs a new dream. Her new dream includes the man who loved her, the kingdom, and her parents. There was a huge party because the lost princess had returned.
   This story reminds me a lot of another story from the Bible. The lost son wanted his share of the birthright before his father was dead. His father gave him the money and the son left. The son spent all of his money on frivolous things. Once he did not have any more money people did not like him anymore and he was not popular. He ended up getting a job feeding pigs. Then he decided to go back home. His father welcomed him and there was a huge party.
   Obviously there are some differences between the stories, but there are some major similarities. Though the son left on his own and Rapunzel did not have a choice, both realized that they needed something more. They both had a dream to leave where they were "trapped" and go back home, whether they knew it was their home or not. Both of them faced trials on their journey like soldiers and false friends. Finally, both ended up realizing that their dream needed to change. They both realized where they belonged. When they came home there was a huge party because what was once lost is now found.
   These stories relate to us too. We walk on this earth with a lot of different dreams. But, we realize that those dreams are only temporary fills. We realize we need something more. We need to go home to our father. I'm not talking about our earthly father, I'm talking about our heavenly father. We fail and sin on earth then we realize that doing that is wrong. That's when we repent. We turn around. We turn away from our wicked ways and go toward a new dream. We go towards our true home.
   So, what stage are you at in your life? Are you trying to fill your life with temporary fills? Have you repented and started to run toward your new dream of being with your heavenly Father? 

   Luke 15:11-32, Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9