via TJC
”But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.“
1 Thessalonians 5:8
In first Thessalonians, Paul is writing to the people of Thessalonica, primarily to rejoice that the church they began had remained faithful to Jesus. That being said they certainly had their challenges. They were surrounded by people challenging God, wanting to lean back on their old habits derived from their Greek/Roman mythology roots.
Their faith came at a cost of isolation and hostility. Bruised and battered though they were, Paul continued by reliving some of the times they shared as they grew the church there and even found comfort knowing they were fighting the same persecution and holding their ground. Finally, Paul left them with a challenge to continue to dig in and live a life of Christ, for them and their families.
I love the idea mentioned in the verse that tells us to put on the breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of hope of salvation. It’s one thing to suit up ourselves, but how do we do that for our family? You may be looking to grow into a family sometime soon, have a girlfriend, a spouse, or married for 12 years with 3 kids. Whatever your family status is, we must be the one to suit up each day and lead them by preparing them for spiritual battle. If you ask me, the nuclear family is ground zero for the battles we are facing today. The media content we are bombarded with, our schools…the enemy, unfortunately, has found gaps in many of these areas of our daily lives. Be careful what you give your time and attention to. Be aware of the exposure you allow for your kids. The time, attention, and exposure your family has to offer are precious gifts. This is one reason my wife and I have decided to send our kids to a private Christian school. I would love to have that money go into other things, or be able to use it to go on vacations, or participate in more activities, or pay off some debt. But, instead we budget, we sacrifice, we eat at home, we skip vacations, so we can avoid the exposure that has infiltrated many public schools.
Daily Battle Order:
Paul challenged the Thessalonians and I am challenging you. Suit up tomorrow and find a way to shield your family. Treasure the gifts your family has, their time, attention, and exposure. People allow these 3 gifts to go to absolute garbage that does nothing to build your family’s armor. Make sure you know where those things are going. How can you focus some of that energy away from worldly waste and into something rooted in Christ?
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