"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." Ephesians 6:14-15
In my last several letters, I've been writing to you about the Armor of God, which is found in the book of Ephesians in the New Testament of the Bible. If you consider that our spiritual life is similar to a battle against evil, then picture yourself as the soldier and you have to ready yourself for battle. The armor that a soldier puts on is for protection. Just like a soldier going into battle, we have to take certain measures to protect ourselves from evil in this world.
We've talked about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, and today we are ready to talk about the next item listed in Scripture. Wearing the right kind of shoes is essential for the activity you are engaging in. Or maybe you are more comfortable not wearing shoes! I used to like to go barefoot when I was younger, but the older I get, the more important it is for me to wear shoes that support my feet.
Ephesians 6:15 talks about fitting our feet with readiness and that this readiness comes from the gospel of peace. What does that mean? I think it means we need to be ready to share the love of God and the gospel with everyone around us - even our enemies. Everyone needs to hear the good news of Christ - that He died for our sins and will forgive us our sins if we ask him to. This gospel - the good news - is what gives us peace.
Is there someone that you know - maybe in your family, your school or your community - that doesn't know about the gospel of peace? I would encourage you to share the good news with that person.
So far we've covered truth, righteousness and peace. Here are a few more Bible verses about peace that you can look up. John 14:27, Philippians 4:7 and Romans 15:13.
Here are links to the other letters in this series.
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
