"FIRM Foundation" ~ Shoes with the Preparation of the Gospel of PEACE

“And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”      Romans 10:15

     How can this picture represent the ‘shoes with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace’, you might ask? As I studied about these shoes, I learned that the shoes were designed to keep the soldiers’ feet healthy when they were in long forced marches. They were different from what most of the people wore back then. These shoes were made from three layers of leather, being pulled up and laced around their ankles. This helped protect their feet from receiving blisters and other foot diseases. On the bottom of the shoes, small spikes were driven into the soles to help give them a firm footing when the ground was uneven.
     During this time, walking was their primary means of transportation. It was necessary that they would be able to move around with comfort and ease. They also needed to go into battle without wondering how to place their feet as again the ground could be uneven.
     Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:15, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”, reminds us that the Gospel itself is the firm footing of the believer. Colossians 1:10 says, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”. When we walk in a manner worthy of our calling, we exhibit a testimony of the Gospel in our lives.
     As I thought about this painting and how the LORD wanted me to tell His story through it, I realized that it begins with each of us. When we repent of our sins, accepting Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, we have started that journey of walking in a manner worthy of His calling. In this painting, there are different “symbols” I want to point out to each of you.
     The shape of the canvas, along with the bright colors in the background again represents a stain glass window of a church, reminding us of the importance of going to a good Bible believing church, faithfully. The father in the painting has his head bowed while praying reminding us of the humility we need to have as we come to the LORD in prayer. As a family, it is so important to have Christ the center. These parents exhibited this in the painting with their little girl.
     As I was painting the parents, I decided to have the father holding his little girl’s hand as he was praying and the mother sitting next to them with the little girl looking at her mother, to show the unity a family needs to have in Christ.      As you look at the parents’ laps, each have a Bible, with light coming out representing the power of God and the Holy Spirit filling the room with the white swirls behind them.  The circle above represents the GOSPEL with the cross, and PEACE with the dove and olive branch. The gold trim around the edge of the painting represents our Home in Heaven someday.
      How does this all tie in with a firm footing? Spending time in God’s Word and in prayer with Him daily, also faithfully attending church draws us to the One who gave His life for us.  It brings each person to the point of total surrender, dying to self, asking Jesus to forgive us of our sins and come into our hearts. Once we have done that, nothing or no one can take us out of His hands as John 10:28 says, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”. He is our “FIRM Foundation”, and He reminds us of that in His Word. When we are in spiritual battles, we can stand firm on the solid ground of what Christ did for us in His death and resurrection. How do you choose to fight?