My Irish Setter Ruby tore a large gash in her chest when she encountered a strand of barbed wire as she was galivanting through the bush. Fortunately, the tear did not penetrate the muscle. I doctored the wound, and it healed well until Ruby figured out how to twist and lick it. I then needed to take other measures. That's when the t-shirt came into play.
My daughter produced one of the girl's outgrown t-shirts that fit Ruby perfectly. It protected the wound from further damage from dirt and debris and from Ruby's licking, preventing it from drying and healing.
As I watched Ruby proudly sporting her bright pink t-shirt, I was reminded of the scriptural command to put on the full armor of God, specifically the breastplate of
righteousness.
Soldiers of the past wore breastplates. We, however, may know them as Flak Jackets, Kevlar, or bulletproof vests. These coverings have always been designed to clothe most of the upper body, providing significant protection from anything that could severely damage or pierce a
person’s heart.
Likewise, the breastplate of righteousness that Paul speaks of protects our spiritual heart. Satan, the ruler of this world, forever schemes against us. He stands before the throne of God, continually accusing the people of God. He wants to pierce our hearts with doubt regarding our salvation and God’s eternal love, grace, and forgiveness for all who call upon His name in faith, confession, and repentance.
Further, Satan desires to stab us with false guilt and unworthiness, robbing our hearts of the
joy of our salvation. This is why we must put on our spiritual breastplate
every day. The breastplate is our belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross.
Once we commit to Christ, God no
longer sees us as unrighteous and imperfect. Instead, he sees us through the power of the shed
blood of Jesus. Jesus's blood covers us with a veil of holiness and protection and makes us righteous in Christ for eternity, no matter what the evil one tries to
whisper in our hearts.
Put on your breastplate of righteousness daily so that you may stand against the evil one who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. This way, you can be sure that someone will not be you.
Father God, thank you for our
breastplate of righteousness, attained for us through the shed blood of Jesus
and his resurrection. Remind us to don it daily. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tweetable: Have you put on the breastplate of righteousness?
Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More.
I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
No comments:
Post a Comment