The Breastplate of Righteousness . . . ephesians 6:14-16
In today's sunday school, the teacher reminded me of a lesson from about four years ago . . . that in God's perfect plan to equip us for battle, revealed by the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul as he was imprisoned under house arrest awaiting trial before Caesar and writing down what he (Paul) saw in a centurion standing guard there in his house, the breastplate is such a crucial part of the armor.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ephesians 6:14-16 (nkjv)
The breastplate is designed to protect the most vital of organs, the heart. I once heard, I cannot vouch for veracity, that if your heart were instantly removed, you would continue to live for about six seconds. The heart is also where the deepest thoughts and emotions arise out of a person. God longs for me to give to Him my heart, but He won't take it without my willingly giving it, yielding it, to Him.
So what is the "Breastplate of Righteousness?" It is to . . . do the right thing when you don't feel like it. Our society bombards us with media and conversations and thoughts of "if it feels good, then do it" and it's corollary "if it doesn't feel good, then don't do it" which is the primary method that satan appeals to us. But our feelings are deceptive, they cannot be trusted. I can be driving along with the gentle breeze blowing into my face and hear a beautiful classic song on the radio or from a CD and be totally caught up in the moment of wonderful feelings, only to be honked at or shouted at in the next few seconds and become insulted, angered, vengeful for no obvious reason. A person living his/her life based upon feelings is akin to an unleashed dog in heat.
"Do the right thing even when I don't feel like it?" It's simple, sounds too simple, but wouldn't I then totally deprive myself of all good things? No, because in the simply secular world it is called discipline. But in obedience to God's laws, to do the right thing, regardless of how I feel at the moment, is a sacrifice of praise to God, in willing faithful obedience, and it enables me to stay upon God's strong right hand to receive God's blessings and under God's hand of protection. If you wanted to protect a baby sparrow, wouldn't you hold it between your cupped hands? How much more God will protect you and me, who He says is worth much more than many sparrows!
We can trust God in that when we do the right thing the feeling will come soon enough. When I am tempted to do what I know is wrong, something that I fall into doing over and over again, despite all of my efforts and personal will-power to avoid repeating that sin, I must stand firm against the onslaught of temptations. If I can stand firm for just a couple minutes, and better yet if I can recall scripture from the Bible that pertains to the particular temptation that I face, then the feeling, the desire, the lust to do wrong subsides as the enemy flees in the face of God's Word. Victory is there for the taking for those who live in faith. Exercising faith in the midst of the battle is the victory!
© S. Chan, 2004. All rights reserved.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ephesians 6:14-16 (nkjv)
The breastplate is designed to protect the most vital of organs, the heart. I once heard, I cannot vouch for veracity, that if your heart were instantly removed, you would continue to live for about six seconds. The heart is also where the deepest thoughts and emotions arise out of a person. God longs for me to give to Him my heart, but He won't take it without my willingly giving it, yielding it, to Him.
So what is the "Breastplate of Righteousness?" It is to . . . do the right thing when you don't feel like it. Our society bombards us with media and conversations and thoughts of "if it feels good, then do it" and it's corollary "if it doesn't feel good, then don't do it" which is the primary method that satan appeals to us. But our feelings are deceptive, they cannot be trusted. I can be driving along with the gentle breeze blowing into my face and hear a beautiful classic song on the radio or from a CD and be totally caught up in the moment of wonderful feelings, only to be honked at or shouted at in the next few seconds and become insulted, angered, vengeful for no obvious reason. A person living his/her life based upon feelings is akin to an unleashed dog in heat.
"Do the right thing even when I don't feel like it?" It's simple, sounds too simple, but wouldn't I then totally deprive myself of all good things? No, because in the simply secular world it is called discipline. But in obedience to God's laws, to do the right thing, regardless of how I feel at the moment, is a sacrifice of praise to God, in willing faithful obedience, and it enables me to stay upon God's strong right hand to receive God's blessings and under God's hand of protection. If you wanted to protect a baby sparrow, wouldn't you hold it between your cupped hands? How much more God will protect you and me, who He says is worth much more than many sparrows!
We can trust God in that when we do the right thing the feeling will come soon enough. When I am tempted to do what I know is wrong, something that I fall into doing over and over again, despite all of my efforts and personal will-power to avoid repeating that sin, I must stand firm against the onslaught of temptations. If I can stand firm for just a couple minutes, and better yet if I can recall scripture from the Bible that pertains to the particular temptation that I face, then the feeling, the desire, the lust to do wrong subsides as the enemy flees in the face of God's Word. Victory is there for the taking for those who live in faith. Exercising faith in the midst of the battle is the victory!
© S. Chan, 2004. All rights reserved.