God's Protective Gear

[bluidkiti]

God's Protective Gear

SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:13-18

THE STORY FOR TODAY:

Bill walked into the house, his arms loaded. "Mom, I'm all signed up for football," he said, dropping a big pile of football gear on the table.

"Great!" said Mom. Picking up the mouth piece, she added, "Your helmet protects your head and face, but what's this for?"

Bill grinned. "It protects my teeth," he said. "We wear heavy padding, shin guards, helmets, mouth pieces-all kinds of protection."

"I'm glad of that!" Mom said firmly. "Don't forget any of it."

"I won't!" Bill assured her. "I've already learned how important it is. I forgot my mouthpiece when I went to practice the other day, but Coach Grimes wouldn't let me play without it, so I had to go get it. Good thing, too. When I got back, I got a good knock on my chin in the very first play. I might have been hurt without it."

That evening, Bill showed his football gear to his father. Dad nodded. "I wore all that stuff back when I played football, too," he said. After a moment he added, "I still wear special protective gear." Bill stared at him in surprise, and Dad grinned. "It's called the 'armor of God.' Do you know what the various pieces are?"

"Oh, that," said Bill. "One of them is a helmet-the 'helmet of salvation.' I learned that in Bible club."

Mom nodded. "And one is called the 'breastplate of righteousness.' It means we need to be right with God. Let's see . . . another says we're to have truth around our waists. That means we have to be honest in everything we do."

"And . . . uh. . . our feet are to be ready to take us to places where we can share the Gospel with others," added Bill.

"I know one!" Six-year-old Davy was eager to add to the list. "We need swords. My teacher said that's the Bible."

"Good! You remembered well," said Mom. "We also need the shield of faith to trust God, even when Satan tempts us to take our eyes off Jesus."

"Why do we need all that equipment?" asked Dad.

"Because Satan wants to get us," said Davy.

"Right." Dad nodded. "The armor of God is even more important than your football gear, Bill," he said. "It protects us from Satan, our worst enemy."

MEMORY VERSE:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you faithfully put on the armor God supplies? Think about each piece. You may easily see the importance of the "helmet of salvation" through Jesus Christ. But how about truth, righteousness, faith, the Bible, and readiness to spread the Gospel? All these are also important for your life. You need them when you're tempted, when you're afraid, when you face uncertainty-and yes, during the happy times of life. You need them to stand strong against the devil.

THE KEY: Wear God's armor
Keys for Kids Daily Devotional