ARE YOU FULLY DRESSED?
By John Grant, Week 21, 2020
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11).
The county just north of where I live is known as the nudist capitol of the world. Nearly a hundred years ago a doctor told his patient that he needed more sun on his body and suggested that he become a nudist. He found others to join him founding the National Organization for Naturists which later American Sunbathing Association. Now, the organization has gone nationwide. People flock to nudist clubs and resorts in central Florida buying condos so can they live there full-time.
We come into the world nude. Then things get complicated. Different countries have different ideas about nudity and America’s mixed culture has different ideas, each thinking they are right.
What does the Bible say about nudity?
▪ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25.
▪ You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; Exodus 28:42
▪ Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed! Revelation 16:15
The Bible talks little about what to take off, but is unequivocal in what to put on. In 1945, as American troops were fully armed and about to storm the beaches of Iwo Jima, in the departing religious service aboard the Bunker Hill, the chaplain pointed the troops to Ephesians 6:11. Paul tells the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God, so that one is able to stand against the powers of the devil.
What a great send off into battle, both then and now. We battle against the schemes of the devil every single day. Paul told the citizens of Ephesus to be prepared for battle and to be strong in the power of God. Be fully clothed with the belt of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.
While people have different ideas about how much clothing to take off, the Bible is unequivocal about what we are to put on. We are to be armed with the Gospel as we go forth to battle each day.
Like the famous credit card advertisement…. Don’t leave home without it!
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border:
I was reading through 1 Chronicles and came upon the passage made famous by Bruce Wilkinson’s bestseller, The Prayer of Jabez. “Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!’ And God granted what he asked” (1 Chronicles 4:10).
For God to “enlarge” his “border” meant to increase his territory and influence. Jabez wanted his life to count as fully as possible. But he knew that this was impossible unless the “hand” of God was “with” him to lead, empower, and protect.
Such a prayer may seem audacious, but “God granted what he asked.” It seems that the Lord wants us to seek to be all we can be for His glory and the good of others: We are to “work heartily” in all we do (Colossians 3:23). Are you doing so?
God wants us to “approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). Are you ready for that day?
Our Father empowers what He expects: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). Are you seeking such empowerment? Jim Denison
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
It is our responsibility to live in the present and make the most of our circumstances—whatever they look like today and whatever they look like tomorrow. We accept the good, we accept the bad, and we make the most of the season right in front of us—regardless of how it looks today or tomorrow. That is our responsibility to ourselves and the constantly changing world around us. The Minimalist
Daphne MacDonald. Though we live in a world of constant consumption, we don’t need much to be happy. The accumulation of stuff costs money and can lead to living outside our means and piling on debt.
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Our first birth gives us physical life; the new birth gives us spiritual life and membership in God’s family. Billy Graham
Heaven may be reached without money or rank or learning. But it is clear as daylight if the words have any meaning that nobody can enter heaven without a new birth. R.C. Ryle
Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather. Dwight L. Moody
It is always too soon to quit. V. Raymond Edman