Good morning. Even as you get dressed for your day, you need to also make sure you are dressed with the armor of God. Let’s check out some words of encouragement. Get your feet fitted with readiness, the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:13a & 15 niv
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, …and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
You now have your belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness on (referencing the last two devotional blogs). Time to get those shoes on. You gotta be ready!
Put Those Shoes On and Be Ready
As a kid who played sports, I had all kinds of different shoes. I had bowling shoes (you know the nerdy bowling shoe, right?), baseball shoes, football shoes, running shoes, basketball shoes, dress shoes (remember the Penny Loafers?), casual shoes, the Rainbow Flip Flops, and of course my Chuck Taylor All Star Converse shoes.
So I had a shoe for different sports and maybe another pair or two, but some people are different. They have a different shoe for each occasion. And though some may have 30 pairs of shoes in their closet exclusively for their shoes, they will be getting a different set of shoes for every upcoming occasion. If that’s you, make a comment below and I will get you some help! lol
The Gospel of Peace Readiness Brand
And now Paul, in the letter to the Ephesians, is adding an additional shoe – our spiritual shoes! What is unique about this particular brand – the Gospel of Peace Readiness shoe?
- It’s made to help you stand firm. It:
- allows you to move from sinking sand to solid rock.
- has spikes/cleats to keep you from slipping when being attacked.
- fits to a T – to give you comfort when you have to dig in.
- It’s made for readiness, being made for a shoe on the go:
- to share the gospel
- the great commission tells us to GO into the world, not to wait for the world to come to us or for the world to come into the church. It allows us to go WITH PEACE and share the gospel:
- With our actions – you can’t act if you aren’t moving.
- And with our words – when necessary.
- the great commission tells us to GO into the world, not to wait for the world to come to us or for the world to come into the church. It allows us to go WITH PEACE and share the gospel:
- to share the gospel
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
St. Francis of Assisi
Though he never did actually say it, many credit St. Francis of Assisi for saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” There is no doubt though that this is what he believed and lived out. So having your fit fitted with readiness is essential.
Shoes for Your Everyday Life
It is necessary to understand this: When you are in that every-day-walking-around-kind-of-life with Jesus, you ARE walking in His peace. You are walking in His fullness. You are walking in His presence. Jesus is Peace. No I’m not going to write “No Jesus, No peace – Know Jesus, Know peace,” because you see it everywhere already.
Challenge of the Day: Recognize that by virtue of walking with Jesus, you already have and are naturally equipped with the ‘Readiness’ shoes that comes from the gospel of peace. Be ready to be the life-changing agent in someone’s life at a moments notice. Be ready to go! So be it.
