Scripture text for Wednesday, April 28th, 2010: Ephesians 6:10-20
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Did you know that traditional battle armor weighed between 40 and 60 pounds? Presuming you were strong enough to both hold the armor up and move . . . can you imagine how indestructible you would feel? I imagine that much armor would make someone very confident. “Come on, hit me with your best shot!”
In Ephesians 6, Paul tells the faithful how to arm themselves with God's “mighty power.” It is this armor that will enable them to “stand against the devil's schemes.”
When I think of Christian armor, I usually think that a brain guard might be nice. Or perhaps a pair of armored sunglasses that filter out lust and coveting. A patented “word purifier” mouthguard might be nice too. It protects you from saying things that don't build others up. There is an infinite number of gadgets that might be nice for us to attach to our bodies to prevent what is inside us from coming out.
The armor that Paul speaks of is different though. It does not arm us on the outside, but on the inside. It does not filter out what is in us, but changes it. Truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation and the Spirit can't be added on. The armor of God replaces falsehood, immorality, unpreparedness, disbelief, destruction and emptiness. As recreated beings in Christ, we are internally, eternally and indestructibly changed and armed. And the best part is that this armor of God is light!
Devotion prepared by Dan Teefey
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