EPHESIANS 6:17

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

TO PONDER

One of my favourite theology authors in recent years, the English pastor and theologian, N.T. Wright, often talks about the Word of God and the Holy Spirit as two sides of the same coin - and I think that's kind of what the Apostle Paul is getting at here.

I mentioned earlier in the week, my son playing ice hockey and all the padding and safety gear he wears, being like the armour of God. I think the analogy still stands when it comes to the sword part of it. As a hockey player, all the padding and equipment keeps you save and help you survive you time on the ice but to be an 'effective' member of the team you really need your hockey stick.

The problem wih the sword image is that we often jump to an image of a soldier hacking and slashing their way through their enemies. The problem here is that it doesn't line up with Paul's warning about our struggle not being against flesh and blood. Passages like this, out of context, are what enable some Christians to justify treating those who disagree with them with appalling levels of verbal and sometimes even physical violence.

A hockey stick, or even a sword, are what help us be effective. Think of the sword more like a machete, a tool for cutting your way through the thick undergrowth of a forrest, a way to move forward through the lies of the enemy and the 'snares' that so easily entangle. The word of God reveals truth, and the Holy Spirit brings that truth alive in us so that it can be powerful and effective in our living. Just like an ice hockey player can skate around on the ice and avoid getting hit, it's only with their stick in hand that they become an effective member of the team, able to score goals and pass the puck around the ice to team mates. The stick is not a weapon to attack the opposition players physically (although it does get used that way on occasion), it is a tool for making progress on the score board, for scoring goals and winning the prize of victory.

So why not ask God to make his word alive in you today through the power of the Holy Spirit and to help you be a powerful and effective kingdom builder today?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I know that you have already won the victory over sin, death and the devil, but there are challenges and obstacles that I still face every day. I pray that your would work in my through your word and by your Holy Spirit, to make me an effective disciple; one who follows you closely and in whom others can see you at work. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle