REDEMPTION & ARMOR

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Holy moly, Refind the Good family. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate you all taking the time to let me share another leg of my journey privileged to me by the grace of God—another evidence that His grace is enough today, tomorrow, and forever.

Here we are again, with another summer Olympics upon us. Athletes from around the world unite to compete, shining with appreciation and demonstrating true sportsmanship. They are all in search of that ultimate "thrill of victory" while attempting to avoid the "agony of defeat." I've been watching these 2024 Summer Olympic games like a little kid, with great appreciation for more than just the performances of excellence. My appreciation of each athlete's courage and sacrifice is even greater as they go hand in hand with discipline and obedience intertwined with faith and hope.

And while someone experiences "the thrill of victory" and gold by five one-thousandths of a second (0.005), someone else endures the "agony of defeat" by the same margin. Regardless of who ends up on the podium, they have all achieved true and meaningful victory by earning this opportunity to compete amongst the best in the world. When an athlete's event is over, many will embark on another journey to compete again in four years. Once again, they will embark with faith, hope, courage, obedience, and discipline to do it all again. This lengthy journey of faith is far greater than the victory that comes and goes in the blink of an eye. That has been my experience with my lifetime of athletic endeavors, and it is no different than the journey we all experience every day when we awake with air in our lungs and faith in our hearts. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) And as this faith carries us through our days filled with both headwinds and tailwinds, sadness and joy, we take comfort in knowing that "blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12 NIV). Wow! What a promise.

I began writing this article with the intent to title it "Redemption." After all, the USA women's gymnastics team has called this their "redemption tour." And biblically, we know, from many scriptures, the importance of redemption. Ephesians 1:7; "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." We also know from Romans 3:23-24, "… for all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." Talk about the ultimate victory. Jesus defeated death after sacrificing His life and shedding His blood to cover the sins of the world. So yeah, I guess "Redemption" sounds like a good title.

I could have left it at that and called it a day. But I started thinking—yeah, thinking… Sorry about that, because I'm now going to ask for a bit more of your time to touch on the importance of "the armor of God." I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but it's worth another look. Trust me, but don't trust just me; trust the Bible that backs my print by putting some serious work into Ephesians chapter 6—particularly verses 10-18. It's a priceless tool I use daily. Why is it so important?—I once asked myself. It was clear after I read verse 12. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." In other words, spiritual warfare is real. In verses 10 and 11, Paul says to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God," so you can "stand against the wiles of the devil." I'm going to use the NKJV and the NIV versions to touch on verses 13-18. Verse 13 states that now you will be able to stand your ground when adversity comes. Verses 14-18 of Paul's message ties all the pieces and their purposes together. Buckle the belt of truth around your waists—the truth of the Bible is God's word. Put on the breastplate of righteousness, living in the right relationship with God, which is morally right and justifiable. Put on the shoes or "shod your feet" with the gospel of peace. Take the shield of faith so you can "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." Alright, home stretch, folks. Put on the helmet of salvation. The helmet is one of my favorites, as it protects my mind from all the noise and mess the world throws my way. The final piece is the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. The sword is both an offensive and defensive weapon belonging to the Holy Spirit, using the power of the spirit so the word of God reaches the heart. We could go deeper and deeper with the armor, but I hope I've given some insight into its importance and purpose.

Now it's time to put in work just as all these Olympic athletes have done to hone their skills and compete at the highest level. I want to thank all the athletes and all the fans for a fantastic display of athleticism and sportsmanship. I have truly enjoyed working on this article while watching the games since they began. I let God lead, and here we are. I hope you enjoyed this one, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. As we continue our journey day after day, with all that comes with it, please remember to keep your eyes on Jesus, not the circumstance. And just as the Bible is for the heart and not the coffee table, the armor is for the body—not the closet.

Until next time,

Much love and be blessable,

Larry