Naked


Naked
Ephesians 6:14-17
14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 Today we read one of the most practical passages in all of Scripture. I know, that's quite a statement, right? But this is not an exaggeration. Here Paul shares with us some vital information about how to make it in the Christian faith.

 Every morning you get up out of bed and head into your daily routine. I think I can say without any fear of being wrong that you put clothes on every day before you head out into the world. So far, walking around nude is fairly rare and we often medicate those who try it. It wouldn't occur to us to leave the house naked. And yet, probably with great regularity, we leave the house spiritually naked. We remember to take a shower, put on clothes and maybe eat some breakfast. But do we remember to don our spiritual outfit? Do we take the time to think about facing the day in the strength of The Lord rather than on our own? In this passage, Paul shares the articles of our spiritual clothing (or armor) in this passage. They are fairly straightforward, actually, and easy to remember if you think about starting at the top of your head and working your way to your feet.

 Even though this isn't the order listed in the text, here is the order I use in donning my armor.

  1. The helmet of salvation
  2. The breastplate of righteousness
  3. The belt of truth
  4. The shield of faith
  5. The shoes of readiness (or the gospel of peace - depending on your translation)
  6. The sword of the Spirit - which is the Word of God


 For today, just try to remember each piece of the armor. Tomorrow, we will discuss each piece in detail. For now, try not to go out naked!

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