As Paul the
apostle told the Ephesian church members to “stand” and
“withstand in the evil day”, he instructed them to “take
unto” themselves “the whole armor of God”. He first
mentioned “having” their “loins girt about with truth and
having on the breastplate of righteousness”. In chapter six and
verse fifteen of his letter, Paul referred to having their “feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”. We read:
And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The
verse begins, “And your feet shod...” Paul
began with the words, “And your feet” which
in Greek is the word “pous” and refers to “the foot or feet of
a person” “shod”
which means “under-bind or to bind under one's self and bind on”.
Paul's idea was for the Ephesians to “strap” or “put on”
coverings and protective wear for their “feet”.
The
verse continues, “...with the preparation of the gospel
of peace;” Paul added, “with
the preparation” or “the act
of preparing, being ready and the condition of a person so far as
being prepared” “of the gospel”
which refers to “good tidings and the glad tidings of the kingdom
of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah,
the founder of this kingdom; the glad tidings of salvation through
Christ and the proclamation of the grace of God manifest and pledged
in Christ” “of peace” which
means “a state of tranquility, exemption from the rage and havoc of
war, harmony, concord, security, safety, prosperity and felicity”.
The “feet” of the
Ephesian church members were to always be “ready” and “equipped”
to take the “gospel of peace”
to others wherever their feet took them.
When
we consider these words of Paul, we can imagine how Paul was looking
at the armor of the soldier who was guarding him while he was
imprisoned. As he examined the soldier's armor piece by piece, he
looked at his“feet” and related it spiritually to how
Christians must be “ready” for spiritual battle by being equipped
with the “gospel of peace”. Jesus Christ, and His saving
grace, should be upon the lips of any Christian believer. People
desire “good news” and “glad tidings” because there are
conditions in which “anxiousness” and “fear” are the natural
responses. Salvation and eternal life offered through the “gospel”
must be a part of the Christian's armor to protect themselves and
fight in their spiritual war. May the Lord Jesus through His Holy
Spirit equip us with “the gospel of peace”, and as we
“bind on” our “shoes”, let Jesus' “good news” be spread
to others everywhere our feet shall trod.
Next
time Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “take the shield of
faith, to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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