Paul pictures the Christian life as a battle. A battle
against doubt, fear, deception, darkness. Paul instructs us to “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.”
Doubt and Fear vs. Pursuit of Holiness
When we experience pain, problems, and stress, we are
tempted to pursue happiness. The battle we face is internal, a battle against
doubt and fear. When life doesn’t go as we wish, Paul instructs us use the Word
of God as a sword. We are to let God’s Word pierce us and transform our pursuit,
from happiness to holiness.
Deception vs. Liberty
We live in a post-truth culture, a culture in which feelings
trump facts. Jesus, not how we feel, is truth. His teachings are under attack. This
battle is external, a battle against deceptive cultural norms, claims based on
feelings. This battle is fought in the public arena for the right of Jesus
followers to express truth. And after doing everything we can, Paul instructs
us to stand our ground.
Darkness vs. Life
Jesus is the light. Darkness seeks to extinguish the light. Darkness
rules where Jesus and his teachings are banned. When the day of evil comes,
followers of Jesus may experience loss of property or livelihood, imprisonment,
torture, even death. In the day of evil Paul instructs us to put on the full
armor of God and stand firm.
From the album “Main
Street” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Ephesians 6:10-18.
Kathy
Print (PDF) and/or
digital (MusicXML) sheet music is available for I Stand Firm.
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| Click here for PDF. |
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| Click here
for MusicXML. (MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.) |
