Readily Fit Feet

April 28, 2009 at 04:51 (GenChurch)

Anything in this color can be ignored, I’m just going on a tangent.

P.S. I had more to say but I forgot it all, which is partly why I started this blog, so I could write down my thoughts.

I think I’m going to regularly put out a blog based on what was talked about on Wednesday nights at GenChurch because, I’m an introverted person and so I prefer to have time to think and process things. When I’m part of the discussions on Wednesdays I can draw from my speech classes about impromptu speaking, but I always feel like there’s so much left unsaid.

Summary: We talked about our identity as soldiers for the Christ and more than anything, because of time constraints, about the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18 (note: I say the Christ because Christ is not a name, it’s an entitlement Orthodox Jews would say the Messiah, same thing).

Specifically I’m gonna talk about Ephesians 6:15 – “and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.” Okay so let’s just dive right in, this passage, before last Wednesday, has always confused me. It never seemed to fit, there’s no indication of what type of armor we’re supposed to fit to our feet, I always assumed it was some type of greave or shoe. Maybe that’s what I was taught and maybe that’s what it even refers to, but it confused me still. Another part that threw me off about this section is the attribute, everything else is a fruit of the spirit, but this… readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace… What’s that supposed to mean?

So anyways I started thinking about what feet are used for in battle, particularly in biblical times. And it makes sense why there wasn’t a type of armor given for this part of the body, because in general there wasn’t any armor protecting the legs. If anything ancient armor was designed to give the soldier the most mobility, they didn’t have long robes or anything that might restrict their legs, in fact in most depictions there’s little more than an undergarment and an armored skirt, you could compare it to a cup and a kilt. So feet, in battle, should be ready to move at a moments notice, whether that’s to march to the battlefield or to retreat from defeat; dodge a blow or deliver your own; or simply stand and defend where you are; your feet should be ready for it all.

Are my feet ready to march in obedience to the places God has called me? Are they ready to retreat back to God’s protective camp when I’ve tried on my own and come out defeated? Are my feet ready to avoid the blows of doubt sent by the enemy? What about countering with power? Or standing with resolve? Not without the Gospel of Peace, the good news of Jesus’s sacrifice for my victory in Him.