Are You Wearing the Armor of Light?

November 29, 2022

By Brooke Holt

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Romans 13:11-14

What is your favorite thing to put on – your cozy pajamas, your favorite pair of jeans, those comfy yoga pants, or your warmest robe? We all have our favorites, things that we regularly wear or look forward to wearing depending on the seasons and weather. The Apostle Paul would call you to think of something even better to put on – “but put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). Clearly, you can’t put on Christ as you can put on your favorite pair of pajamas, or can you?

What Paul is admonishing the followers of Jesus Christ to consider is that their behavior, especially the way that they treat one another, either reflects the light of Christ or the works of darkness. It really is one or the other not a waffling between the two. You put on the Lord Jesus Christ when you choose “to love your enemies, to do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). Jesus taught his followers the beatitudes on the hillside one day. Those words challenged his hearers then just as they do today.

These teachings are the means and the way to put on Jesus Christ. To put on Jesus Christ is to choose faithfulness and to deny the desires of the flesh. While you may long to get even, to take revenge, to curse those who hurt you or oppress you, Jesus would have you surrender your will and ways to him and then allow him to do a miraculous work in you. In your flesh, you are not able to fulfill the teachings of Jesus; however, when you deny the flesh and live in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, you can love, do good, bless, and even pray for those who sin against you.

Paul would have you recognize that today is the day to renounce the flesh and to put on Jesus Christ. These twenty-eight days of Advent are the days to awaken to the ways that you fall short of the glory of God or the ways that you have been captivated by the world and then to turn back to Jesus. These are the days to walk out of the darkness and into the light of Jesus Christ.

Reflection:

What will you choose to put on today – the ways of the world or the ways of Jesus? The ways of the world may feel comfortable and easy today, but the ways of Jesus Christ will lead to eternal comfort and glory. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Recommended Resource:

Advent is like celebrating a national holiday in a foreign land — like observing the 4th of July as an expatriate. Locals do not understand the fuss. Advent is equal parts cherishing and missing home. AND it’s a mix of loving this world while getting ready to leave it behind. This makes Advent the most human and most complex celebration we have. Isaiah the prophet, David the psalmist, Paul the apostle, John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus all lived in one world and longed for the next. They loved this world and loved the world to come even more. In these 28 devotions in Face the Dawn, join them in wearing the paradox of Christianity- this world may be our home, but that world is HOME.

Prepare the Way