Ephesians 6:15

This is written by Lily McGrady - she is a Chicago native and is in her first year of university at Central School of Speech and Drama. She is part of the student group at St. Mary's. 

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

If you were running a marathon, would you choose sturdy trainers or flimsy sandals? If you choose the right shoes, you can go further more comfortably. Ephesians 6:15 tells us how to prepare to run our race.

In this verse Paul is talking about our readiness to encounter the world. God wants us to be prepared to face the world by equipping ourselves with the full armour of God. When do we need shoes in our everyday lives? It’s not when we are sitting on the sofa watching TV or hunched over our desks, but when we are out in the world encountering other people. When we are on the move, so to speak. Life is a battlefield requiring the full armour of God. It would be unfit to enter the battlefield without shoes, wouldn’t it?

When Paul says “the gospel of peace” he means literally that the gospel, the word of God, brings peace. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” The gospel brings peace to us because when we read it we are guided by the light on our path, and able to find rest and satisfaction through God’s communication with us.
 
This peace that we gain readies us to walk in the world, and to interact with the people we encounter in it. This peace enables us to walk through the hardships of life with the confidence that the armour of God is protecting us. How much bolder can we be with that knowledge?

Ephesians 5:2 says “And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” How would you walk differently dressed in the armour of God?