Grace for Your Day May 24

The story is told of the time when a famous general was attempting to conquer Persia and, at one point in the campaign, it looked like he might lose because his troops were too lethargic. They were weighed down with too much plunder and gold so he told them to get rid of it. He ordered them to place it on a pile and burn it which worked because it freed them up to fight. It freed them up to face the enemy.

Paul says that we have to do the same thing as Christians. In our battle with sin, we have to first get rid of the things that hinder us or else we will lose. We will be defeated which is what he talks about next in his famous passage on the armor of God. It is what he goes on to say in Ephesians 6:13-15:
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Paul tells us to take up the full armour of God which means that we should take up every part of it. We should wear every piece of it into battle and the next item that he mentions in the list is the “sandals of peace” which were essential for movement. They were the piece of armor that the Roman solider used to help them move quickly and rapidly in combat.

In a similar way, Paul says that a Christian should “shod his feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace” which refers to the peace that comes from believing the Gospel. It refers to the peace that comes with knowing that our sins are forgiven in Christ. Paul says that we should use that to cover our feet. We should use it to stand on so that we can move quickly and rapidly as well. We should use it to keep from getting too lethargic in our battle with sin which is what we are going to talk about this this week at Grace Fellowship Church.

Have you ever felt lethargic in the Christian life? Have you ever felt like you are weighed down with too many things from the world? I ask you that that because there is a simple solution to that. You need to put on the sandals of piece. You need to wear this piece of armor. On a similar note: Do you ever find yourself giving into the same old sins? Do you find yourself falling for the same temptations over and over again? It could be that you need to do what the general’s army did. You need to get rid of something. You need to throw some of your temptations away. You cannot go on living the same way and expect to see victory. You need to make some changes which is what we are going to talk about this Sunday morning during the sermon hour.

We do not normally pay attention to our feet. They are often overlooked and ignored but they are essential in our fight against sin. They cannot be emphasized enough so please join us as we talk about this most important subject. The sermon will be preached at our 8:15, 9:45, and 11:15 services. It will also be available Sunday morning on our You Tube Channel and website for all who cannot join us in person. – Jeremy Cagle