A Life Worthy

Tag: Ephesians

  • One-a-Day Friday, 10/17/14

    number 1…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17b)

    You know the power of words.  You’ve felt it.  Words can bruise, they can cut, they can crush, they can soothe, they can comfort, they can heal.

    And those are just human words.

    The word of God is infinitely more powerful.  It goes far beyond emotional impact; it reaches deep into the spiritual realms. So it shouldn’t be surprising that the Word is our primary weapon against the enemy.  After all, what did Jesus use to defend himself from Satan’s temptations?  Did he blast Satan to powder?  No.

    But wouldn’t that have been cool?

    Jesus used Scripture to defeat his enemy.  Why?  Perhaps because that is a weapon we can use as well.  You probably can’t command the powers of Heaven and Earth the way the Son of God can—in fact, I’m pretty sure of it—but you can use Scripture.  Maybe you don’t have the advantage of having written it, but you can still read it, and learn it, and memorize it, and use it to back your enemy off when he attacks.

    How good is your sword arm?  How much drill have you put in this week?

    Maybe it’s time to practice, Beloved.

    The battle awaits.

  • One-a-Day Thursday, 10/16/14

    number 1Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17a)

    When I was a kid, you didn’t have to wear a helmet.  Bicycle, motorcycle, pogo stick—you were free to ride with the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth.  It was wild and free.

    And deadly.

    To ride without a helmet is to ask for dain bramage.

    Paul speaks of the helmet of salvation.  He’s talking about the knowledge of who you are in Christ, and the price that has been paid for you.  That knowledge can protect you in the heat of battle.  You see, that enemy of yours likes to mess with your head.  He likes to get into your thought life and plant false ideas about who you are and what your value is.  He’ll tell you that you’re not good enough, not strong enough, not worthy of a life in Christ.

    All of which is true.

    The helmet doesn’t block those ideas, but it filters them through the knowledge of your salvation.  You can answer, “You aren’t worthy,” with, “Of course not…but Jesus is.”  You can answer, “Look at all you owe,” with, “Look at what He paid.”

    To walk this world without the helmet is to ask for soul damage.

    Strap on your helmet, Beloved.  Go face Thursday.

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 10/15/14

    number 1In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16)

    I don’t want to be struck with a flaming arrow.

    No, not even one.

    So I will trust in the Lord, placing my faith completely in him. I will lean not on my own understanding, but will do as he asks to the best of my abilities—even when what he asks doesn’t make sense to my little brain.  I will soak the shield of my faith in the water of his word, and I will listen to the thunk and sizzle of the arrows that he stops for me.

    Let this be my prayer.

    Hey, Beloved–let this be your prayer.

  • One-a-Day Tuesday, 10/14/14

    number 1…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  (Ephesians 6:15c).

    You know how you get when you’re on your feet all day.  Tired, sore, cranky—if you don’t have decent shoes, it’s even worse.

    Huh, this sounds more like a commercial than a devotion.

    A soldier’s gear was designed to protect him while he was on his feet.  If he fell, that soldier became vulnerable and ineffective.  On the battlefield, a sharp stone, a tangle of debris, even a random arrow could spell disaster.

    Think Achilles.

    God wants you in the battle today.  He doesn’t want the stones, the debris, the random shots of life to take you down and make you ineffective.  God’s truth—the peace in your heart bought by Christ—protects your foundation.  It is not only the firm ground upon which you stand, it is the protection you need to keep you standing.

    Lace ‘em up tight, Beloved. Stand firm today.

  • One-a-Day Monday 10/13/14

    number 1…with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (Eph. 6:14b)

    The breastplate is essential protective gear.  Cops wear a Kevlar vest.  Baseball catchers wear a chest protector.  Even Batman has anatomically correct upper body armor.  Why is it so important to protect the chest?

    Because your heart is there.

    In a very literal sense, you can’t live without your heart—so eat right and get plenty of exercise.  In the metaphoric sense, the heart is the center of our being, the part of us that makes us…us.  As you go out into a sinful, broken, fallen world, how do you protect this essential part of your being?

    The righteousness of Christ.  The right relationship with God that is yours through Christ, and which gives you a right understanding of who you are and how much you are loved.  This, and this alone, will protect your heart from the blows of this twisted world.

    Remember, I’m not talking about your own righteousness…the place with God you might think you’ve earned by your good behavior.  Count on that to protect your heart, and you might as well try to stop an arrow with a wet paper towel.  I’m talking about the perfect righteousness of the King of the Universe.

    Which he just happens to be offering to you.

    How can this mighty piece of armor fit your spindly little self?

    It’s a mystery, Beloved…just go with it.

  • One-a-Day Friday, 10/10/14

    number 1Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

    If it isn’t true…

    If God didn’t send his only begotten son to Earth…if Jesus didn’t die for our sins…if he didn’t rise from the grave…if he’s not seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and me…

    Then it’s all a fake.

    My faith is a joke.  My salvation is a sham.  My righteousness is totally pointless. The peace I have with God is nothing but a delusion.  Nothing that I do matters, because in the end I am nothing.

    If it isn’t true.

    But it is.

    All of it.

    And when I buckle that truth around me, my faith becomes a shield, my salvation a helmet, my righteousness the guardian of my heart, peace with God the shoes that help me stand.

    And stand I will.

    And so will you.

    Because we are his Beloved.

    And that’s the truth.

  • One-a-Day Thursday, 10/9/14

    number 1Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Ephesians 6:13).

    Words that intrigue me in this verse of Scripture:

    Full Half measures won’t suffice.  You have to put on all the armor; if you leave a vulnerable spot, your enemy will find it and use it to hurt you.  He is far more experienced at this sort of thing than you are.

    When As in, “When the day of evil comes.”  Don’t think in terms of “if.”  If you live in Southern California, the big earthquake will happen.  If you’re on the East Coast, the hurricane will happen.  If you live on this planet, Evil will come for you.  Don’t pretend…prepare.

    Stand Not leap.  Not fly.  Not dance.  Stand.  The day of evil will leave you bloody but not broken, drained but not destroyed.  When the tempest recedes, if you stand in Christ, you will stand.

    If you stand in Christ,

    You

    Will

    Stand.

    Take that into your Thursday, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 10/8/14

    number 1For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:12)

    Ever have that nightmare where you’re being chased by a terrible monster, and no matter how fast you run it keeps getting closer and closer, and you’re absolutely powerless to stop it?

    It’s kinda like that.

    Only worse, because it’s real.

    Physical skills cannot suffice against spiritual evil.  And that’s what you and I face each day as we go about our business.

    Your only hope, my only hope, the only hope, is to let the righteous power of God guard us.

    Don’t get macho about this.  There’s too much at stake.

  • One-a-Day Tuesday, 10/7/14

    number 1Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  (Ephesians 6:11).

    Last summer, my kids got their first taste of quadding. Their uncle, who was in charge of the outing, made sure that everyone was outfitted with protective gear.  Helmets, gloves, goggles, chest protectors—you didn’t ride if you weren’t protected.

    It was a good thing, too.  One of the boys took an epic fall.  All that gear that he was wearing saved his bacon, not to mention his head, chest, etc.  He was knocked around and shaken up; without his armor, he could have been seriously injured.

    An interesting note.  It wasn’t his armor.  The gear was provided for him free of charge by someone who knew what he needed, and what dangers he was facing.

    The quad, the hills, the rocks—they weren’t out to get anybody.  They were simply passive objects that presented a hazard.  You have an enemy that is anything but passive.

    Hey, Beloved–is your gear on?

  • One-a-Day Monday 10/6/14

    number 1Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  (Eph. 6:10)

    How many pushups can you do?  How fast can you run?  How far can you throw some heavy thing that needs throwing?

    Doesn’t matter.

    It’s not enough.

    Hey, Mr. Cross-Training, Kickboxing, Black-Belt-Ninja-Man…it’s not enough.

    No matter how expert, how brilliant, how talented you are, your powers are puny.   There are forces arrayed against you that are beyond your comprehension, much less your strength.  You can’t stand up to them—they’ll crush you to powder.  You are no match for the least of them.

    So don’t try to be.

    You see, there is also a God in Heaven, a God who makes all the forces of Hell itself look as weak and pathetic as…well, as you and me.  And he offers you his strength.  He offers you his power.  He wants you to stand in him today, putting on his power like a suit of armor.  With him, in him, through him, you are invincible.

    There’s a rough week ahead, Beloved.  Better suit up.