Paula Wiseman

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Shoes Ready to Carry the Gospel of Peace

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And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15

With good, proper shoes
A soldier can march farther, travel faster, move with greater agility.
They are essential,
but often underappreciated.

Good shoes allow the soldier to stand firm
And engage the enemy with confidence,
knowing he won’t slip.

The gospel means we have peace with God.
We are no longer His enemy.
Instead, He has become our defender.

Think of that.

So we can be,
Should be,
Persevering, flexible,
Eager to reconcile other enemies.
Confident enough to stand firm.
Ready to fight.

How are your shoes?

The Breastplate of Righteousness

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Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, Ephesians 6:14

The breastplate is an incomplete name.
It covers the heart and lungs,
But also the stomach and liver,
Kidneys and intestines.

Our emotions.
Our nourishment.
The way we process everything we take in
All of it
Must be covered and protected by righteousness.

Our energy.
Our motivation.
Our ability to persevere.
Covered and protected by righteousness.

Otherwise we end up
Overwhelmed.
Ineffective
Defeated.
Sidelined.

Take up the breastplate
Don’t take it off.

 

 

 

 

 

The Belt of Truth

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Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, Ephesians 6:14 (ESV)

Paul doesn’t start with the head and work down.
He doesn’t start with the feet and work up.
He starts in the middle.

With TRUTH.

Jesus affirmed that HE was the truth.
It is the knowledge of the truth,
That brings salvation,
That sanctifies us,
That calls us to service.

It is unchanging.
It is unconditional.
It is uncompromising.

Without TRUTH

We are vulnerable to lies,
To fear and distortion,
To hypocrisy and pride,
To doubt and hesitation.

In ancient times, the soldier put on his belt first.
In these times, let us start with TRUTH as well.

 

 

 

The Whole Armor

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pieces of roman armor with title the whole armorTherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Take up…
It has already been issued to you.
It fits.
It’s ready to use.
But it won’t buckle itself.

The whole armor of God…
All the pieces.
Every single one.
Not shortcuts.

That you may be able to withstand in the evil day…
Get the armor now.
Today.
Before the ambush, the sabotage, the battle.

And having done all, to stand.
Fought every foe
Met every challenge
Countered every attack

Not yielding
Not faltering
Not quitting.

 

 

 

 

 

Misthos

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Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

There’s a final “blessed” that’s not counted with the Beatitudes.
It’s set apart from the others.

It’s not blessed are those.
It is blessed are you.

It is no longer an abstract,
A concept, a premise.

It is pointed and personal.
Blessed are you …

But He continues
When they …

A clear division
You, you who are following and listening.
And they, they who revile, persecute and slander.

When, not if.

It does not matter that we show mercy and comfort and make peace.
The reviling, the persecution, and the slander will still come.

But that’s not all.
Blessing comes.
And later great reward in heaven.

Makarios
Then misthos

 

 

 

Dioko

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Bullied teen persecuted by peers with Greek title diokoBlessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

Persecuted.
The Greek is dioko.

Jesus is simply being honest.
Full disclosure, paradoxical though it may seem.

If we are compassionate, gentle, empathetic,
Striving to live in integrity, pursuing Godliness,
We will be opposed.

Confronted.
Rejected.
Forced out.
Shut down.

By the very people we show compassion
We strive to make peace with
Or introduce to Christ.

So don’t be shocked, outraged
Indignant, spiteful
Grieved or discouraged.

We can respond with our own paradox.
We can be even kinder, gentler, more giving.
In short, even more like Christ.
Blessed.

 

 

 

 

 

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