Entry #5 -- Armor Basics 101

Perhaps because I consider myself just a “budding” author, I still struggle from time to time with organizational issues.  I have notes everywhere, and I really do mean just exactly that!  My favorites are those I jot down on napkins, scraps of paper, old receipts floating around in my purse, and even gum wrappers.  I keep a notepad and pen on my nightstand—and I don’t even bother to turn on the light—just knowing the scribbles are there helps me get back to sleep.  I know I can always decipher the scribbled thoughts in the morning (AFTER coffee).  However, one such blurb truly had me stumped. The hidden message within the squiggly letters completely eluded me.

My memory was finally triggered the other day with the recall of “Sword Drills.”  Those of us who grew up in Sunday School probably remember getting out our Bibles and racing to see who could be first to find a particular scripture passage. Sometimes the victor received a sticker on his/her Bible chart. Now that was pretty cool back then!

Back to my note…  I had been driving across town and along the way saw several churches posting signs for their VBS (Vacation Bible School).  One sign borrowed a well-known dairy slogan and said something like; “Got armor?”  That was it! That was what I had scribbled down in the middle of the night.  You see it occurs to me, those of us who grew up in an earlier generation might be very familiar with the concept of “putting on the armor of God,” while newer Christians may not understand what that phrase fully means.  Hence the blog title: Armor Basics 101.

Our first stop is Science class for a quick review of metals. Okay, stay with me, I promise this won’t be too painful!  Any one of dozens of science or chemistry websites can provide expert explanations. For our purposes, we simply need to know there are metals (pure) and alloys (mixtures).  For example: Copper is pure; brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; bronze is an alloy of usually copper, tin, and aluminum.  Okay, did you survive? Are you still with me?  Finally, in Science class we also need to acknowledge that some metals are softer/harder than others which means that some metals are more malleable (changes its shape more easily) than other metals. This is why aluminum cans crush more easily than the old fashioned tin cans.  It is also why, after 32 years of wonderful marriage, my wedding band has taken on the peculiar imperfect circular shape of my finger. Congratulations! You have survived Science class.

Our next stop is History class for a quick glance at timelines.  Don’t worry, you made it through science, you can do this! Stay with me! For this class I will be using a resource called Bible Time Line (Rose Publishing, 2001).  Here we learn The Old Testament began during the Bronze Age. Cool, they were already mixing metals! The time period for the Biblical Judges and the Trojan Wars began about the same time as the Iron Age. Apparently more battles also meant the need for stronger weapons. Next in history comes the time period of the Biblical Prophets, still within the Iron Age.  This brings us to the time of the Prophet Isaiah (c. 760-673 BC), which just barely preceded the general time of the start of Olympic games and the founding of Rome.  

Ahhh! So here we are at last! The Prophet Isaiah. Soon thereafter, Rome. Romans. Battles. Conquests. Armor. 

Isaiah confronts the people with a sobering warning:

“So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.  Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.”  Isaiah 59:14, 15 (NIV)

Look what comes next…

“The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice…He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head…”  Isaiah 59:15 and 17 (NIV)

Paul was not a Roman soldier, but for a while he was chained to one 24-7, and thus he would have been very familiar with Roman armor. Paul was also raised by the teachings of the most scholarly of Jews, and therefore he would have known this passage from Isaiah.  It is undoubtedly this combination of factors that leads Paul to encourage the Ephesians:

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”   Ephesians 6:13-18 (NIV)

Each piece of armor deserves its own blog.  I’m fairly certain I have already pushed the limits of your attention span, so I will simply say this: 

Our sword/weapon is the Word of God.  If you do not have a weapon, you may fight, but you will most likely not win.  If you do not have God’s Word in your heart, you are defenseless.  Study God’s Word.  Read it daily. Commit it to your mind and memory.

Most Roman helmets had some type of finial or plumage, sometimes denoting rank, sometimes identifying units.  Today sports teams have different colors; obviously one would not want to tackle his own teammate.  As a Christian our helmet, and identification, is Salvation. That doesn’t seem to be a problem when we sit together in church.  My question would be; when you are at work, out in public, or online, is your helmet of salvation visible? Can people clearly tell whose team you’re on?

We are living in difficult times, seemingly returning to the corruption that filled the days of Isaiah’s time.  Justice is slipping and it’s pretty tough to see truth anywhere.  If you speak out against evil, you open yourself to become the prey/target.  Nevertheless; as Christians, we are called to be strong and stand our ground.  Having received his permission, I will leave you with a quote from Myles Holmes (Revive USA) because he states it quite clearly and concisely:

“It is time to have all your spiritual armor on.”

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian

Entry #4 -- A Poet and Didn't Know It

Even when I read this title I think, “Oh good grief…can’t she do better than that?” Unfortunately it all too well clearly demonstrates my entire poetical ability.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love reading the poetry of others—clearly my own writing skills belong in a different genre.  My worst poetry crisis occurred only four years ago.  There we were, sitting in our Welcome-Back-to-School first staff meeting of the year.  Our principal gave us the assignment. We were to create a poem about ourselves, publish it on paper of school colors, and post it outside our door just under our name plate.  The purpose was to make ourselves more personable to our students and parents—a way to communicate to them who we were. Immediately the “test-phobe” side of me began to squirm.  (A teacher with test-phobia…now there’s some irony!) Less than two days—how will I finish in time?  What should the finished product look like?  What if people think I’m a dork? I don’t even remember the rest of the staff meeting because I was consumed with dread, anxiety, and even stubborn rebellion.

Midnight prior to the first day of school, most teachers were getting a good night’s rest in preparation for the next day.   I, on the other hand, was at the breakfast counter with a drained cup of old coffee and a blank sheet in front of me. Then I whined out the most self-centered prayer I can ever remember praying:  Dear God, Why can’t I write this stupid little poem about myself? I even have a template, and all I have to do is fill in a few adjectives, adverbs, names, and places.  What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just get this done and go to bed?

I’ll never fully grasp nor understand the wonderful mercy of our gracious Heavenly Father!

He immediately answered my pathetic little prayer:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”   Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

“Whatever you do, work at it with all you heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  Colossians 3:23, 24 (NIV)

Hesitatingly, nervously, I once again picked up my pencil and began to fill in the blanks. It clicked. Was it my mechanical pencil that clicked? No, I think it was the hard shell around my heart that clicked when it cracked…my heart was beginning to soften and melt within me.  I began to realize the wonderful collection of words, names, places, and events that my Heavenly Father arranged to make me into the best ME possible.  This was His specific design for me.

Truly Blessed by a Loving Heavenly Father

By

Dotty Willmon

I am from quilting needles and knitting needles; from Plymouth Rock and the rock-bound coast of Maine.

I am from cinder block, the spray of salt water, pelicans, and the squish of sun-baked sand between my toes.

I am from red-tipped photinias, poinsettias, and gladiolas, and the lingering taste of homemade molasses cookies.

I am from Fuller family picnics at Old Fort DeSoto; from butchers, bakers, and cabinet makers; from George & Ruth, Gram W., and Tim.

I am from the “always be prayed up,” out-going, fun-loving, bull-headed Scottish/Welch and Irish clans.

From “JOY means Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last” and “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

I am from canoe trips at Camp Suwannee and old fashioned Southern Gospel Sings that lasted all night until the morning light.

I am from The Mayflower, New England boiled dinners, hot dogs “anytime” and Saturday night baked bean suppers with steamed brown bread.

From the mother who became a nurse after being told she would never walk again; from the young girl who took her Driver’s Ed test in June with her head still bandaged from a serious camping accident in May; and from a brother who struggled for each breath but was determined to make the dreams of others become a reality.

I am from scrapbooks, photo albums, and thousands of slides; from hand-pieced quilts and knitted mittens.  From the old Family Bible—a loving memory of those who made me what I am.

Don’t you just love a twist at the end of a story?  I do.  You see, I can’t recall a single student, parent, teacher, or even the principal stopping by my room that year to read my poem.  If they did, I am not aware of it.  But that’s really and truly okay with me.  I didn’t write the poem for them. Nor did I write it for myself, nor even for you.  I wrote it to let my Heavenly Father know I recognize all the work He did in advance to create me.  It was my humble way to say “Thank you” to Him.

Here is YOUR challenge:  The next time you go to work and engage in all those boringly mundane or disliked tasks, change your perspective.  Do it for the Lord and not your boss.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”             1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

I can assure you, your hardened heart will melt, and the quality of your work will improve.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, thank God for His specific design for YOU.

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian

Entry #3 -- Go Play With Someone Else

Recently I have been intrigued and motivated by the FB posts of not one, but several, individuals whose theme seems to be united in looking forward to the second coming of Christ.  What a glorious time that will be, indeed!  Many of these posts also carry a secondary theme—giving less credit to the adversary, aka satan, devil, whatever you want to call him.  To this I also give a resounding AMEN!

It is truly discouraging to listen to so many folks who unwittingly build up the adversary by crediting him with all their problems, faults, and illnesses.  I remember back—in many years past—while at some sort of “revival,” that I actually recall the guest speaker suggesting unless Satan was persecuting you then you were apparently no threat to him.  It is my belief that nothing could be further from the truth; allow me to explain…

When I read my Bible I see clearly that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness and salvation.

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23 (NIV)

What I have earned, and what I deserve, is death.

“For the wages of sin is death..”  Romans 6:23 (NIV)

I cannot work my way out of this one!  I simply can’t do it on my own, no matter how hard I might try.  Salvation must come from only ONE source…it is a FREE gift from God.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8, 9 (NIV)

“And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were [works], grace would no longer be grace.”  Romans 11:6 (NIV)

What is grace?  The best explanation I have ever heard, and I truly wish I knew an original source, is this:  GRACE = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense

Many may disagree (that is your right to do so), but I personally firmly believe in the Deity of Christ, who was with God in the beginning, came to Earth in human form, was crucified, died, buried, but who was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of God our Heavenly Father.  It was God’s incredible plan to use his ONLY Son as payment for the debt of our sins so that we might have eternal life.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.”  John 1:1, 2 (NIV)

“The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us.”  John 1:14 (NIV)

Nothing less could make Him be the perfect sacrifice that was required for our lives!

So how do we receive this gift?  Oh my how we tend to complicate the very simple truth! You only need to believe it is true, and ask—that’s it!

“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 (NIV)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8 (NIV)

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  Romans 10:9, 10 (NIV)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Romans 10:13 (NIV)

This means EVERYONE… this means me… this means you!

Okay, so by now you are undoubtedly thinking that somehow I forgot what the title was and what the focal point of this devotional was supposed to be. No, I’m actually right there! You see, Jesus Christ won the victory when He shed his precious blood on the cross to pay for my sins.  This was part of God’s incredible plan for ALL of us. But the point is that the “game” is over, the battle has ALREADY been won!  I don’t need to keep battling and struggling through life any more.  I don’t have to be bullied any more by the adversary.  He has already lost, and I (through Christ) have already won.  It’s as simple as that.

Remember when you were little…there was always some kind of bully on the playground.  You would run home and tell your folks how he/she was mean to you and he/she didn’t play fairly.  Remember what your folks said?  I can almost guarantee they did NOT tell you to go engage in a deep theological discussion, and I’m willing to dare say they also did not let you blame the bully for your problems or sign you up for counseling classes.  I’m pretty sure they told you something to the effect of, “There are a lot of other kids on the playground…why don’t you go find someone else to play with?”

Here’s the bottom line:  I don’t have to PLAY with the adversary.  I can PLAY with others now. I am free from my sin through the blood that Christ shed on the cross. The bully has no power unless I give it to him.  He can’t bother me unless I let him.  My job is to:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist [have nothing to do with /don’t even acknowledge] the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.”  James 4:7 (NIV)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)

It’s just so incredibly simple—GO  PLAY  WITH  SOMEONE  ELSE!

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian

Entry #2 -- Stuff and Nonsense

The more common definitions of “stuff” generally have something to do with items that have very little value or worth, and generally have only temporary value to the owner.  Boy, oh boy, do I have a lot of STUFF.  I keep thinking, “Hey, maybe I’ll need that sometime.” 

Ironically, my grandmother was very tidy and organized.  She always told me she didn’t want people picking over her STUFF when she was gone, so she was always pretty particular about what she kept and what she let go.  My husband tells me that he doesn’t remember people by what they have (or had), but by who they are (or who they were).  This has had a profound impact on me lately—to the point that I have hauled boxes out of my closet and have begun the process of sifting through them to let go of STUFF.

I have a dear friend who loves to hand piece and hand quilt. While visiting with her this past week, she accomplished two things (whether she is aware or not).  We talked about my desire to start writing again. She was very supportive—just what I needed at the time. Not only that, but she is the one who gave me the title for this blog, as well as some scripture passages I will share in a moment.  She shared with me that it is NONSENSE to collect STUFF, because it isn’t stuff that is important.

Perhaps the most familiar passage on this point is…

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

The real question becomes, “What kind of treasure can I store up?”  I suppose one could answer in many ways…my answer is this:

“A good name is more desirable than great riches…”  Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)

“A good name is better than fine perfume…”  Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NIV)

Apparently, this was so important King Solomon-wisest of the wise—said it twice!

(speaking of end times) “But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.”  Daniel 12:1 (NIV)

(speaking of the Good Shepherd)  “He calls his own sheep by name…”  John 10:3 (NIV)

(the best promise)  “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.  I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”  Revelation 3:5 (NIV)

(speaking of future glory) “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  Revelation 21:27 (NIV)

What have you done with your name lately? When people think of your name do they immediately think of someone who is trustworthy, honest, fair, cheerful, or encouraging? I suppose the greatest question of all is this:  What does your Heavenly Father think when he hears your name? Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life?

Wow, I sure have a lot to think about.  And, I have plenty of time to ponder this…you see, I still have several more boxes of STUFF to clean out! 

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian