Yesterday I talked about a life of reverence. Today I will talk of being prepared. Obviously this young man was not prepared for anything but going to bed. He was in an inappropriate place for what he was wearing, and it cost him his dignity. I would imagine that he was scared to death when the swords were drawn and the guards arrested Jesus. It was not at all what he expected. Just like the commercials say, "Life comes at you fast". We must be prepared for the unexpected. How do we do this?
In Ephesians 6, Paul didn't tell us to put on the pajamas of God. He exhorts us to put on the full armour of God, because the Christian life is a spiritual battle. Verse 13 says, "Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm." When we are dressed appropriately, spiritually speaking, we won't run when the battle starts. We will be able to stay on the battlefield, and when the battle is over, we will still be standing. Still wearing our armour. Without appropriate spiritual dress, we will run away, naked and ashamed, just like the young man in the story.
Don't forget to stop and think about the little parenthetical anecdotes when you're reading the Bible. Stop and think about them and ask yourself why they are there. Every story has a purpose.
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