Ahhh…
Peace
- Is there any sense of peace (and quiet) in today’s culture of 24/7 digital connection?
- Is there any sense of peace (and rest) in being a workaholic, never quite achieving “enough” money, status, or power?
- Is there any sense of peace (and contentment) in the cult of materialism, never quite having enough of the “right” “stuff”?
- Is there any sense of peace (and self-worth) in the search for celebrity, never quite feeling “good” enough without the validation of others?
- Is there any sense of peace (and happiness) in the pursuit of pleasure, never quite filling the God-sized hole with true “joy in the Lord”?
1 Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Psalm 33:1 NAS
As believers, we are to
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. Psalm 32:11 NAS
So, I ask:
- Are you at peace?
- How do you stay at peace?
- How do you stay at peace in the midst of the Stress/ Distress with your job, with your family, with your life?
- How do you live in peace while having a terminal illness – yours, or worse – your child’s or your spouse’s?
- How do you live in peace through Death/ Disease/ Divorce/ Depression or other mental illness – yours or a family member’s?
- How do you live in peace in a crashing economy, without savings, without a job?
The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; Ephesians 6:10-18 NAS
The capitalization of Paul’s words in the NAS indicate his image of the shoes of the Gospel of Peace were citing this verse in Isaiah:
7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 NAS
Shoes of the Roman Soldier
In the days of the empire, Roman soldiers wore thick-soled, sandal-like footwear. The soles were multilayers of leather, with hobnails driven up through the bottom or nails driven down through the leather. The hobnails reinforced and strengthened the soles, making them last longer on marches. Nails down through the soles acted as modern-day cleats, grabbing hold on blood-slick battlefields.
The spiritual armor of the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace help us stand firm in the face of the enemy.
The one who comes bearing or proclaiming Good News must be wearing good shoes upon their feet.
Good, sturdy, comfortable, long-lasting, long-wearing shoes.
The Gospel of Peace
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
Do you know the Gospel of Peace?
In Hebrew, gospel is
basar1319 bear good news, proclaim good tidings
In Greek, the noun gospel is euaggélion2098
The noun is from the verb:
euaggelízō2097 (from eú 2095, “good, well” and angellō [sic: perhaps *aggelō32?] “announce, herald”) – properly, proclaim “the good message” (good news). In the NT, (euaggelízō2097) refers to sharing the full Gospel of Christ – literally, “gospelizing” that announces the complete message of “the good news” (the Lord’s glad tidings).
Therefore,
The Gospel is “Good News.”
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Acts 8:12 NAS
Wouldn’t living in peace be good news to you?
What is Peace?
In Hebrew:
shalom7965 peace, health, prosperity, safety, well, well-being, wholly
In Greek:
eirḗnē1515 (from eirō, “to join, tie together into a whole“) peace, peace of mind, health and welfare – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God’s gift of wholeness).
Notice that both the Hebrew and the Greek meanings encompass more than the usual meaning of peace in English as non-war, end of hostilities, fighting, and strife, along with tranquility, and serenity.
Peace with God
- We can have peace with YeHoVaH, the Father, through Yeshua, the Son
No longer are we separated from the God by our sin.
We have been justified.
We have been made to be in right-standing with our Creator.
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 NAS
The Peace of God
- We can have the peace of God in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit
We have peace beyond what we can try to understand, beyond what we can to try to get our minds around.
We have the peace of the Holy Spirit as a guardian: protecting us, soul and spirit.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 NAS
The Peace of the Son
- We have the peace of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God
No longer do we need to live in fear – in the world or of the world.
27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27 NAS
Living in the Peace of Yeshua, the Messiah
- We can live in the peace of the Prince of Peace.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NAS
- We can live in the peace of knowing the loving care of Jesus.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6,7 NAS
- We can live in the peace of resting in the strength and power of the Lord.
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NAS
Be Prepared
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
As part of the Armor of God, the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace help us to be steadfast: for the LORD, and against the enemy.
The Shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of Peace help us persevere.
- We can persevere when we are prepared.
- We can persevere when we know the Good News.
- We can persevere when we know the source of true, holistic, spirit-mind-body peace.
- We can persevere when we experience the power and strength of the in-dwelling God the Spirit.
We can persevere when we have Faith.
The Shield of Faith
More on that
… next time.
Blessings,
TLThomas
It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!
Be a Berean!
10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10, 11 ESV
NOTE:
*aggelō32
*Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, MI,1981. Including A Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, by James Strong, p 7.
More on the shoes of the Roman soldier:
Roman Shoes – Caliga, the Roman Hobnail Boots
Roman Sandals: Military footwear
See also
The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 1
The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 2
The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 3
The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 4
The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 5
The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 6
Please join me in this journey of discovery.
- Leave a comment, or ask me a question.
- Share this blog with others, whether they are doubting, or not.
- Take what I say and CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!
© 2017 by the author