Spiked Shoes

Ephesians 4:20-24

Verse 22  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

    Not only do we need to make sure our shoes are fitted properly, we need to make sure our ability to have firm footing is good.  The soldiers of Paul’s time had hob-nails on the sole of their shoes so they had enough traction to make it where they needed to go without having to slow down to get there.  When in the heat of battle there is no time to walk delicately, taking your time to find a good foot placement.  You are in pursuit and need to be able to make forward progress quickly and safely.

    In our spiritual life we need firm footing for the daily battles, but what are hob-nails we can have on our armor?  We need to find those things in the Gospel which give us the needed traction to stand firm and the ability to move forward.  The first thing is of course the truth of God’s existence.  Without standing firm on the knowledge of who He is, we won’t believe anything else the Gospel is built on.

    We must also have firmly in our mind the truth of Jesus’ sinless life, death, resurrection and ascension.  If we are missing the truth on any of those things we lose our firm footing of the Gospel of peace.  If Jesus didn’t live a sinless life He would not have been a suitable substitute to pay the price for our sins.  Had He not died He couldn’t be risen from the dead.  If He hadn’t been resurrected He couldn’t have broken the power of death for us.  And if He hadn’t ascended he wouldn’t be with the Father in Heaven to intercede for us.

    Another truth we must be firm in is God has chosen us not because of our ability of living a sinless life but because He loves us and decided to choose us.  This choosing us should help us want to stand firm for Him because He didn’t have to choose us as His own.  But He doesn’t leave us alone after choosing us.  He gives us the gift of eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and He fills us with His Holy Spirit so we can know Him intimately.

    These are the things we should be so grounded in our knowledge of that we can’t help but place our faith totally in Him and be ready to share it with all we come into contact with.  Knowing the Gospel of peace is only one part of this piece of armor, being ready and prepared to share it is the other part.

Making It Personal

    How prepared are you for sharing the Gospel?  What does it mean to you that God has called you to share it?  What keeps you from sharing the truth of the Gospel with others?

Making It Personal Kids

    Are you prepared to talk to others about Jesus?  How does it make you feel to know Jesus wants you to tell others about Him?  Who can you share the truth about Jesus with?

Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for the reminder of these things which help us have the firm footing of faith.  Give us the courage to stand firm and share what You have taught us with each other and with those who don’t know You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.