Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place [Ephesians 6:14 NIV]
Perhaps the most popular genre of programming on television – at least on U.S. television – today is the criminal investigation series – you know, CSI, CSI New York, CSI Miami, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace, Bones, the Mentalist, etc. All of them feature law enforcement “good guys/gals” doing whatever it takes to get the bad guys/ gals. But I’ve noticed another point of commonality that struck me primarily because of what you and I are talking about right now … on every one of those programs, before the “good guys/gals” go into danger, they put on a protective vest (we used to call them bullet-proof vests, but that is apparently not entirely accurate anymore … some bullets can penetrate even the best vest … remember that for later). They don’t protect their heads, legs or arms, but the vests are designed to protect that part of the body which is the easiest target and which contains the most vital organs. Put a picture of a protective vest beside a picture of a “breastplate”, and you’ll easily see the family resemblance.
Paul is teaching us the same lesson every “good guy/gal” needs to learn, before you go into danger, protect your vital organs … but not with Kevlar – popular vest material – but with “righteousness”. Now how does that work … and how does it apply to business leaders?
Even though it looks like it, “righteousness” does not mean just being right or correct. The dictionary adds that it carries a sense of moral uprightness, virtue, justification. But that is not enough for the kind of protection we need. Jesus makes that clear when He says that “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (that is the religious, moral leaders of His day), you will not enter the kingdom of heaven”. [Matthew 5:20] We are looking for Kingdom-of-Heaven-based protection, so where does that “vest” come from?
You probably already know the answer to that one – it comes from Jesus: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” [2 Corinthians 5:21] Our breastplate of righteousness comes through our personal relationship with Christ – not through our own being right or moral … that vest would already be full of holes!
The understanding that real righteousness comes from God is woven throughout scripture. In Genesis, God made a promise to Abram/Abraham, “Then he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and He (God) reckoned it to him as righteousness.”[Genesis 15:6 NASB] God is the definer of true righteousness. And in that great passage in Matthew where Jesus deals with all of the anxiety and self-concern that can occupy our time and effort – weapons that can be aimed at our vulnerability - we are told that the solution – and the promise that goes with it – are tied to God’s righteousness: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” [Matthew 6:33 NASB) There is so much more, but I think we understand that, as with Truth, we are not the source of this vital piece of our Armor. It’s all about God … your relationship with Him … and how you live that out.
Now, why a “breastplate”? We know that perhaps the most vital organ in the body – our heart – is located in the chest …behind that breastplate. There are a number of other organs it protects – lungs, stomach, liver, etc. – any one of which when injured can cause pain, long term disability or death. But it is the “heart” that we see as the source of love, courage, commitment, character, faith and so many other attributes that God uses to reflect His image in us. That, of course, makes it a target for any enemy of our souls, our marriages, our families or our businesses – misdirect our love, infect courage with fear, minimize our commitment, impugn our character, shake our faith and we can no longer provide that clear reflection that draws others to our God … let alone live the kind of victorious, filled-with-the-fruit-of-the-Spirit life that God has offered.
You probably don’t need more evidence, but if you want to see how devastating an attack on the heart can be, just take a look at what happened in the past few days to a U.S. Congressman from New York. It took only four hours from the time an inappropriate picture and emails were released on the internet for him to resign from congress – his career, opportunity to impact a nation, reputation, marriage, family … all irreversibly damaged by his apparent failure to put on his “vest”.
We all lose when those things happen. So let’s close Part 1 by committing to each other to do a thorough examination of the vest / breastplate you and I are depending on to protect our hearts and all of the areas of our lives that are impacted by what happens there. What – or Who – are you depending on for your righteousness? Is it all about your goodness and your ability to stand your moral ground … or is it all about Christ and His ability to enable you to stand? Jesus told us what to seek first … are you / am I?
Next week let’s talk about the practical impact that vest can have on your life and your company.
Seeking First,
President and CEO
Fellowship of Companies for Christ International / Christ@Work
doug@fcci.org
Cell: 678-358-9341
http://www.fcci.org/
4201 North Peachtree Road
Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Perhaps the most popular genre of programming on television – at least on U.S. television – today is the criminal investigation series – you know, CSI, CSI New York, CSI Miami, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace, Bones, the Mentalist, etc. All of them feature law enforcement “good guys/gals” doing whatever it takes to get the bad guys/ gals. But I’ve noticed another point of commonality that struck me primarily because of what you and I are talking about right now … on every one of those programs, before the “good guys/gals” go into danger, they put on a protective vest (we used to call them bullet-proof vests, but that is apparently not entirely accurate anymore … some bullets can penetrate even the best vest … remember that for later). They don’t protect their heads, legs or arms, but the vests are designed to protect that part of the body which is the easiest target and which contains the most vital organs. Put a picture of a protective vest beside a picture of a “breastplate”, and you’ll easily see the family resemblance.
Paul is teaching us the same lesson every “good guy/gal” needs to learn, before you go into danger, protect your vital organs … but not with Kevlar – popular vest material – but with “righteousness”. Now how does that work … and how does it apply to business leaders?
Even though it looks like it, “righteousness” does not mean just being right or correct. The dictionary adds that it carries a sense of moral uprightness, virtue, justification. But that is not enough for the kind of protection we need. Jesus makes that clear when He says that “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (that is the religious, moral leaders of His day), you will not enter the kingdom of heaven”. [Matthew 5:20] We are looking for Kingdom-of-Heaven-based protection, so where does that “vest” come from?
You probably already know the answer to that one – it comes from Jesus: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” [2 Corinthians 5:21] Our breastplate of righteousness comes through our personal relationship with Christ – not through our own being right or moral … that vest would already be full of holes!
The understanding that real righteousness comes from God is woven throughout scripture. In Genesis, God made a promise to Abram/Abraham, “Then he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and He (God) reckoned it to him as righteousness.”[Genesis 15:6 NASB] God is the definer of true righteousness. And in that great passage in Matthew where Jesus deals with all of the anxiety and self-concern that can occupy our time and effort – weapons that can be aimed at our vulnerability - we are told that the solution – and the promise that goes with it – are tied to God’s righteousness: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” [Matthew 6:33 NASB) There is so much more, but I think we understand that, as with Truth, we are not the source of this vital piece of our Armor. It’s all about God … your relationship with Him … and how you live that out.
Now, why a “breastplate”? We know that perhaps the most vital organ in the body – our heart – is located in the chest …behind that breastplate. There are a number of other organs it protects – lungs, stomach, liver, etc. – any one of which when injured can cause pain, long term disability or death. But it is the “heart” that we see as the source of love, courage, commitment, character, faith and so many other attributes that God uses to reflect His image in us. That, of course, makes it a target for any enemy of our souls, our marriages, our families or our businesses – misdirect our love, infect courage with fear, minimize our commitment, impugn our character, shake our faith and we can no longer provide that clear reflection that draws others to our God … let alone live the kind of victorious, filled-with-the-fruit-of-the-Spirit life that God has offered.
You probably don’t need more evidence, but if you want to see how devastating an attack on the heart can be, just take a look at what happened in the past few days to a U.S. Congressman from New York. It took only four hours from the time an inappropriate picture and emails were released on the internet for him to resign from congress – his career, opportunity to impact a nation, reputation, marriage, family … all irreversibly damaged by his apparent failure to put on his “vest”.
We all lose when those things happen. So let’s close Part 1 by committing to each other to do a thorough examination of the vest / breastplate you and I are depending on to protect our hearts and all of the areas of our lives that are impacted by what happens there. What – or Who – are you depending on for your righteousness? Is it all about your goodness and your ability to stand your moral ground … or is it all about Christ and His ability to enable you to stand? Jesus told us what to seek first … are you / am I?
Next week let’s talk about the practical impact that vest can have on your life and your company.
Seeking First,
President and CEO
Fellowship of Companies for Christ International / Christ@Work
doug@fcci.org
Cell: 678-358-9341
http://www.fcci.org/
4201 North Peachtree Road
Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
No comments:
Post a Comment