Tuesday
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.
(Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)
As we noted yesterday, Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus has as its central theme God’s unfolding plan for history. Paul summarizes God’s strategy as one of reconciliation in which all of creation submits to Christ’s Lordship. He then explains the various steps in God’s plan, including the redemption of individuals by God’s grace and the reconciliation of all people made possible through the cross and God’s forgiveness.
The remainder of Paul’s letter is devoted to a practical discussion of peaceful living among Christians on a personal level. As always, Paul offers down-to-earth instructions about relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children and even slaves and masters. Today’s verses come after this discussion and are his final words of instruction and encouragement to the young Christians in Ephesus to prepare them for spiritual conflict.
This letter begins with Paul’s summary of God’s purposes in history, moves from this macro-level analysis down to practical instructions for relationships among Christians, and then concludes where he began: describing the spiritual battle that is taking place in history between God and the “spiritual forces of evil.” It is important to note that he once again characterizes the “good news” of Jesus Christ as the “gospel of peace” (v. 15). In Paul’s graphic picture of a well-equipped soldier, the “gospel of peace” is portrayed as footgear – the foundation upon which the warrior stands.
Prayer
Almighty God, our Rock and our Deliverer, help us to be strong in you. Equip us with the “full armor” so we can stand up to Satan’s schemes. Thank you for the “gospel of peace” which prepares us to be ready for battle against evil in our world. Remind us to pray regularly “for all the saints,” as Paul encourages the believers in Ephesus to do. Amen.