Living for the Lord – Family Devotion – September 10, 2021

Read: Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Therefore 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:10,13-17

Living for the Lord

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What would Batman be without all of his cool tools and vehicles? What would Thor be without his hammer or Captain America without his shield? What would the Hulk be without his super size and super strength? What would Superman be without his powers? What would Iron Man be without his special suit? I think the answer to each question is pretty easy. What would they be? In trouble!

If superheroes or Avengers didn’t have their special powers, weapons, or protective armor, how could they fight against the bad guys? They wouldn’t have anything to fight with, and they wouldn’t have anything to protect themselves with. That would be dangerous and big trouble!

Christians are in danger when they don’t use their powers, weapons, or armor, too. No, you haven’t been secretly added to the Avengers or the Justice League. You are part of a bigger army—the army of God’s people. But watch out! Our enemy is more dangerous than any bad guy on TV or in the movies. The devil is our enemy, and he wants to steal you away from God and send you to hell forever.

But not to worry! The power, weapons, and armor we have can beat Satan any day! Did you hear what the verses for today said? We have the full armor of God! That means that we have all of God’s strength and power on our side! Remember that our God crushed Satan when he died for our sins on the cross. Remember that our God conquered death and hell when he rose from the dead. Jesus is the ultimate champion and superhero!

So what kinds of weapons and protection do we have from our awesome Savior God? The verses today told us. We have the truth of God’s Word close to us, like a belt around our waist. We have God’s righteousness and perfection like armor protecting our chest. We have our feet fitted and ready with the peace of Jesus that we can run and share with others. We have the shield of faith in Jesus to protect us from Satan’s attacks. We have the protective helmet of salvation, which is the knowledge that God has saved us from death. And, we have the powerful sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God to protect us and fight against Satan every day.

It may be a dangerous battle with the devil, but you are more ready than any superhero. You have God on your side! He will help you to stand firm and to be strong. He already won the battle at the cross and now he gives you his armor to protect you. Have no fear! God is on your side!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord, you have already defeated sin, death, and the devil. Now protect me and keep me safe by your mighty power. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• How did Jesus defeat the devil?
• How does God keep us safe?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• If someone asked you to prove that sin, death, and the devil were defeated by Jesus, what would you say?
• Name two ways you can use the armor of God in your life.

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Agree/Disagree: Christians are not afraid of anything in this world. Explain your answer.
• Describe times in your life when these verses might be comforting to you.

Hymn: CW 376:5-6 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness

When from the dust of death I rise To claim my mansion in the skies,
E’en then this shall be all my plea: Jesus has lived and died for me.

Jesus, be worshiped endlessly! Your boundless mercy has for me,
For me and all your hands have made, An everlasting ransom paid.