Weekend Worship—The Breastplate of Righteousness

Stand firm…having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:13

Many years ago I majored in costume design and, for a short time, worked as a costume designer. I love the theater, and I love being involved with productions—as long as I don’t have to be on stage. In college, one of the first productions I designed for was the musical, Camelot. I’d been a fan of King Arthur in literature since I was a child, and working to make this production come alive for the audience was a dream come true.

I worked on several of King Arthur’s elaborate fabric costumes, but the armor came from someone else, someone specialized in that ancient craft. I found myself fascinated with the process of building and designing the armor, especially the chain mail. It involved a lot more than I had first expected. The armor had to protect the wearer and provide a full range of mobility. After all, a warrior who can’t fight is pretty much useless.

The righteousness of God is like that as well. His righteousness gives us strength beyond measure, but doesn’t hamper us or weigh us down. So many of the world’s religions are burdened with cumbersome rules and regulations, but our God has stood in our place and cuts directly to our need. And it’s that provision that gives us the strength and stamina to stand firm when the enemy attacks.

So I ask you, have you put on your armor? Or are you relying on some set of rules and regulations that do nothing more than hamper your efforts?