peace – On my knees

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Ephesians 6:15 (NLT) For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God.)

How many of you all run around bare foot, or maybe you just wear flip-flops? There’s nothing wrong with that, but I can’t stand them. I also hate not having shoes on. About 19 years ago I was introduced to a website called Fly Lady. She helps encourage Sidetracked Home Executives, or SHEs. Typically this may be a mom, but can also be a dad. One of the baby steps is getting dressed to your shoes. Why? Because when you have your shoes on, and tied, you’re more likely to do the chores around the house that need to be done. I have found this to be true for myself. Not wearing shoes makes it easier to put off getting things done, (household chores, run errands, even taking a walk).

Today’s Bottom Line is: Get dressed to your shoes.

1) Find peace with God

Romans 10:9-10 tells us that “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” (NLT)

We have to have this peace with God before we can do anything. It should be one the most important things we hold onto. If we don’t have peace with God, it is unlikely that we will have true peace with anyone.

I came across a person on tiktok who goes by the name “theformerthings”. This man’s testimony is awesome. He came out of a lifestyle that was totally against God’s will; A lifestyle where he allowed sin to define him. In one of his recent videos he shared his struggle and temptations. But he ended by saying that his peace with God was so much more important than anything else. We should all have this kind of commitment to our relationship with God.

Let’s try to get a mental picture of the Roman military caliga. It was a vital part of the Roman soldier’s equipment. It was an open toed, light sandal that went partway up the soldier’s leg. How high up it went depended on the soldier’s rank. The higher up the leg it went the higher the rank. These shoes also had to be thick enough to protect the soldiers’ feet as they marched over rough terrain. The bottoms were embedded with spikes to ensure a good grip even on slippery ground. These shoes protected the soldiers’ feet, and shins, and the spikes helped to ensure that the soldier was able to keep a solid footing, and stay standing upright.

2) Stand against the enemy

The Roman soldier wasn’t responsible for the entire battleground. He was only responsible to defend his position; the square where he was standing. The same thing goes for us. We have to hold our position. And the enemy is always ready to attack. He may bring up our past, bring financial difficulties, he’ll interfere in our relationships. But our task is to stand firm in the battle.

Romans 16:20 reads, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” (NLT)

Remember those spikes on the Roman soldiers’ shoes? They had another very important use. As the soldier marched across the battlefield, they would stomp on enemy soldiers who had fallen down, pretty much ensuring their deaths. Do your shoes have spikes in them to crush the enemy, and to stand firm in the battle?

3) Share Jesus

Are you ready to share the Good News of Jesus Christ? l have two verses I want to share for this point.

The first verse is Romans 1:16 (NLT) “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

Paul wasn’t afraid to share the Gospel. The guy on tiktok isn’t ashamed to share the Gospel. How about you? Are you looking for opportunities to share?

The second verse is Romans 10:15 (NLT) “And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!'”

Consider yourselves sent. We have all been sent to share the Gospel.

The shoes of the Gospel enable us to be ready to stand firm, hold our ground, and also be ready to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Bottom Line: Are you Dressed to your shoes? Are you dressed to the Gospel?

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colosians 3:12-15 NLTse)

My challenge this year is to put the above passage into practice. What would happen, first in our individual lives, then in our local churches, then in our communities, if each of us who call ourselves Christians would seek to put this passage into practice? If instead of seeking to condemn another person, we simply forgive them. I suspect that there would be a gradual transformation that would spread, and we would become even more effective than ever at reaching those who are lost.
Now, I am certainly not going to claim that this is an easy thing to do. Forgiveness is not for wimps. It’s actually one of the hardest things to do, and even when we manage to forgive, the memories creep up on us when we last expect it. But it is possible. If we will allow the Holy Spirit to work within our hearts, He will transform us into more Christ-like individuals, who are able to share the love that Christ has for is with those whom we may otherwise find unloveable.

Also notice it doesn’t say forgive if the other person asks you to forgive them. It says we are to make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends us. Further, this isn’t a suggestion. It is an order, a command. Paul goes on to say that we must forgive others.

I admit, I have felt some serious conviction over this. Forgiveness does not come easy. But I must. Because God demands it. Because Christ forgave me. And because, if I want peace in my own life, then I have to be willing to let go of the garbage that comes along. It doesn’t say forgive only if the offense was unintentional. And it certainly does not say it’s ok to hold a grudge if the other person purposefully offended you.

Further, it is love which binds us together as believers in Christ. Can you, or I, truly love others if we refuse to forgive? I don’t think so. In fact, I’ll change that to a straight “no, we cannot.” Because when we refuse to forgive we allow our hearts to begin to harden. A hard heart is simply not capable of love, or peace.

Finally, be thankful. When? Always. I’ll be honest, I think Paul was a bit off his rocker here. How am I supposed to be thankful when so much of life gets in the way? You know what I mean. How am I supposed to be thankful when all the bad things like bills, accidents, sickness, death, foreclosures, and disasters seem to be an endless cycle? I have to honest here too, this is also a tough one for me, and probably for many people. But I think I have a solution. Instead of waiting until Thanksgiving to figure out something to be thankful for, think of at least one thing each day. I don’t care how depressed you get, and I am talking from experience, if you ask God to name just one thing that you have to be thankful for, and listen to Him, He will show you several things.

So I think I can sum up this challenge with just a few words: forgive, love, peace, and thankful.

Will you accept this challenge? Or maybe God has a different challenge for you this year. Whatever He asks of us, may our Heavenly Father bless us, and help us to grow stronger in our faith, and in our love for one another this year.

On my knees

Tag: peace

My challenge for 2014