Looking at the verses today, what stands out to me are the fruits of the Spirit. These make up 3 of the pieces of armor mentioned. (As a reminder, the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22 are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.) Faithfulness and love make the breastplate in 1 Thessalonians. In Ephesians, peace makes the shoes and faith also makes the shield.
As with a soldier’s armor, we cannot hope to stand against the spiritual powers of evil that Paul alludes to without training, practicing, and sharpening our defensive armor. A solider in an army would never wait until they are in battle to begin using their tools and weapons. They begin using those tools years before they ever touch the battlefield. So should it be with the fruits we bear.
When we think of actual fruit, we can see that fruit never exists for its own sake. It grows on the outside of a tree in the hope that when the seeds fall they will be picked up and dropped or planted elsewhere in order to grow a new tree that will then bear fruit years later. Likewise, when we practice love, peace, faithfulness, and the other fruits well, we are planting the seeds that will result in fuller fruit at a later time. We should never wait to use these, to ask to be filled by the Spirit in these fruits. We should always be in these practices, growing the kingdom of God that God has called us to do.
As we produce this fruit, the most immediate thing we are doing is investing in other people’s lives. We are connecting with others and uplifting them. Even when I encounter someone who is not showing love, peace, or kindness, I tend to assume that I don’t know everything going on in their life. It’s not up to me to correct someone else; it’s up to me to love someone else. And in living into this kind of consistent lifestyle of love, we can be prepared for when times get really rough, and be able to stand firm in faith.
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May 20, 2021 at 01:55PM
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Spiritual armor for “children of light” - Leawood - Church of the Resurrection
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