Put Your Boots On Before You Go Out

Put Your Boots On Before You Go Out

Ephesians 6:14-15

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

   The church I grew up in generally had a summer picnic at one of the local parks.  And someone always organized games for us which nearly always included a tug of war.  One year I wore sandals to the picnic and we ate and fellowshipped and then the games began.  After a bit we were called to line up on both sides of strip of grass for the tug of war.  I was selected to be the anchor for my side and wrapped the rope about my waist and got a good, two-handed grip on it.  The lady organizing the game shouted “Go!” and we began to pull.  That was when I discovered that sandals with smooth soles make lousy footwear for a tug of war.  The sole were too slippery and I couldn’t get a firm stand with my feet and so could not pull the rope with any force.  We lost.

   In the days of hand-to-hand fighting, having good footwear was invaluable in your ability to fight.  If your feet kept slipping, you were at a big disadvantage.  One of the innovations introduced by the Romans was nail-studded footwear.   Ancient Jewish historian Josephus described these sandals as:  "shoes thickly studded with sharp nails."  Many historians believe that one reason for the great success of Roman armies was that they could march long distances over rough ground.  It was not unusual for them to march 15 miles in a day!  Then when they fought they had firm footing on just about any type of ground, even muddy ground.

   In Paul’s metaphor about armor, he begins by describing the armor to always have with you; your belt, your breastplate and then your shoes.  Your belt keeps everything in place, your breastplate protects your heart, and good shoes on your feet give you firm footing.  In order to stand in your Christian walk with the conflicts and struggles that comes with living for God, we need good shoes to help us keep our firm footing.

   Paul tells us to put the preparation of the gospel of peace on our feet.  Preparation as its used here is a word that means literally "a prepared foundation."  The gospel is that prepared foundation that provides the footing for everything we do.  The idea of preparation is to be ready for whatever comes our way.  The best preparation you can have is to have the Gospel with you and be ready to share it wherever and whenever you can.  This preparedness is at the core of the Great Commission given to us by Jesus Himself. 

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

  

   He commanded us and expects us to be prepared to tell the Good News to everyone.  To do so we need to know and know well the Good News of Jesus.  Have you ever given your testimony to anyone?  Your testimony is your best selling point.  I’ve heard dozens of stories about what God did for others, but the story I know best is what God has done for me.  I have no doubts about God’s grace or God’s mercy or God’s love because I’ve personally experienced them first hand.  I can say that I know God loves you, and I really know He does, but my testimony about His love for you will not carry the personal conviction of telling someone about God’s love for me.  The enemy can present lies and distort the truth and confuse the unsaved. He can cloud their minds and agitate them so they will not hear the Gospel.  But the Holy Spirit is at work in people’s lives and when He has one ready to listen He needs us to be prepared to give the Gospel to them.    

   Be prepared and get your testimony ready.  You’re under orders to march into battle.  You have the armor you’re to always have with you.  Now it’s time to take up the rest of your armor.

Stephen Cram                           April 1, 2012                 Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8