May 26, 2021
Once we put on the armor, what do we do next? It may sound a little boring to you. We stand firm. In Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, I first understood something about the struggle in our world. Satan rebelled against God. Somehow, with our sin, Satan took authority over the physical world including our flesh. So the world and the flesh joined him in resisting our submission to God. Jesus came as a man, lived, died and was resurrected, and ascended into heaven to pay for our sin and give us the way to God. When we put our faith in Jesus, when we follow him, we become part of his revolution. We're part of God's kingdom. We serve as part of an invasion by God into hostile territory. And our job is to stand firm.
Each of the pieces of armor help us stand firm. I think of how you live your faith as standing firm. You must resist the temptations you get from the world around you. In your jobs, you're tempted to live and work as if God doesn't exist. In your relationships, you're tempted to try to get ahead, cut corners, climb the ladder. Every one of us can get tangled up looking out for #1.
Standing firm to me means we remember who we follow. We represent him at work. That means we make sacrifices because we trust him. We give away part of our income. We give up personal time to attend church. We go out of our way to give more than we get, and to look out for others because that's what Jesus did. And we trust Jesus to make it right now and in the end. Standing firm to me means staying punched in, connected to headquarters, and manning our post as a member of the kingdom of God no matter what happens to us or where we are.
Can you stand firm? We'll talk about the armor next. This will help us stand firm. Today, focus on how you can live like Jesus is your king and your boss today. How will that make you serve your customers and coworkers? What can you give away today, simply because you trust Jesus. Your resources, skills, abilities, strengths, experiences, time and money are all his. How will you use them today?