Boots of Readiness #
Reflections Of Last Week #
- Where do you battle Righteousness in Christ?
- Where do you see your Righteousness in Christ?
- How were you able to speak into others about their Righteousness in Christ?
Verse & Intro #
Ephesians 6:15
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Boots #
Roman soldiers have boots made of flexible leather with studs in the souls. They allowed the soldier to stand firm and move across terrain. The boots offered protection to the foot and traction to attack and hold position.
Readiness #
Being ready at all times to go when asked to go. Soldiers, as well as Christians, need to be ready to move, share, help, and step up when asked or requested.
Gospel of Peace #
Gospel is the story of Jesus and you and I are still part of that story today. We are living out what Jesus has asked us to do. Readiness to live this out is important and making yourself ready is the first step. But to be ready, it helps if you are at peace. Think of someone who was not ready, was not at peace when confronted with a situation and how it escalated the situation. When they needed to step up, they escaped from it all together. We need to be ready, at peace, to live out the story as Jesus did.
Scripture Questions #
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Where do you find yourself ready?
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Where do you need peace?
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When have you been in a situation where being ready, at peace, helped or would have helped?
Application #
When life happens, people have a tendency to build up or fill up with stress. People stuff events and emotions inward and usually can pack a bunch in our bodies without ever getting that stuff out in a healthy setting. Usually it comes out sideways with something that should have not triggered such a response. Be it anger, snarky remarks, or withdraw when someone needed to be engaged.
Building peace within one’s self is the key to being ready to share peace with the world around us. The answers to building this readiness is found in the stories of Jesus. Jesus got away from time to time, he slowed down and noticed his condition. Jesus knew how to withdraw in a healthy way and had a healthy awareness of his condition.
Look at this story from Luke 5:15-16
But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
If Jesus, being fully God and fully man, needed to withdraw in a healthy way, what might you need?
Application Questions #
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What does it look like to build peace and be ready to bring it to others around us?
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What does it take for you to slow down and unpack the layers of stuffed emotions?
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Picture soil in the garden that gets packed down. What does it take to become good soil again? How does this relate to your life?
Healing #
Finding a place to get out anger, sadness, or shame can be very good. Working with someone to help you unpack or loosen your soil is needed to be ready to bring peace to the world around you. Recall a time when you got angry or disrespectful towards someone that you love and what they did was not even that deserving of your reaction. Notice what you are feeling at that time and notice what you want. Do you want capacity to love those around you? Ask Jesus to help you recall what is packed into your soil and what truth from him is needed to keep that from packing again. Maybe just spending time listening to him after you unpack the load that has been stuffed, with help the help of trust friends. In that look for the truth, Jesus wants to share with you.
Healing Questions #
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What have you learned about yourself?
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What truth do you need to apply next time you feel your soil become hard and compacted?
Going Deeper #
If you really want to love those around you, in the same manor as Jesus loves people, then you will need to set apart time for building readiness. Readiness is built by being at peace, so that you can absorb things that would have triggered you to hurt those around you. Search for ways to unplug and be still with Jesus. Listening exercises are good for building peace and capacity. In a listening exercise, you would practice a three to one rule; that is three minutes of listening to one minute of talking in your prayer time. So if you run through your requests and petitions to God for 5 minutes, then listen for 15 minutes.
Deeper Questions #
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Recall a time when you expected someone to react to something you did or said, but instead they just listened. What was it about that experience that you remember?
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What keeps you from being still?
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When are you most able to listen and be still?