“Here
is a general agreement to constancy in our Christian way, and to courage in our
Christian warfare. Is not our life a warfare? It is so; for we struggle with
the common calamities of human life. Is not our religion much more a warfare?
It is so; for we struggle with the opposition of the powers of darkness, and
with many enemies who would keep us from God and heaven.
If
Christians are soldiers of Jesus Christ, they must see that they are strong in the Lord. Those who have so
many battles to fight, and who, in their way to heaven, must dispute every
pass, by means of the sword, have need of a great deal of courage. Be strong
for service, strong for suffering, strong for fighting. Let a soldier be ever
so well armed externally, if he does not have within a good heart, his armor
will stand him in little stead.
Be
strong in the Lord. We
have no sufficient strength of our own. Our natural courage is as perfect
cowardice, and our natural strength as perfect weakness; but all of our
sufficiency is of God.
‘Put
on the whole armor of God, v.
11, make use of all the proper defenses and weapons for repelling the temptations
and stratagems of Satan-get and exercise all the Christian graces, the whole
armor, no part be naked and exposed
to the enemy.
It is
called the armor of God, because He
both prepares and bestows it. We have no armor of our own that will be armor of
proof in a trying time. Nothing will stand us in stead but His armor. The armor
is prepared for us, but we must put it
on.
The
reason why the Christian should be completely armed is that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil-that he
may be able to hold out, and to overcome in spite of all the devil’s assaults,
all the deceits he puts upon us, all the snares he lays for us, and all his
machinations against us.”
-Matthew
Henry Expositor, Commentator, Minister 1662-1714
From,
A Closer Walk with God; Daily Readings from Matthew Henry; compiled by Martin
Manser; (Daybreak Books—Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids; 1987), Page
107.
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