Gospel shoes? Just do it …

When it comes to athletic shoes, there’s one brand I prefer over the other options: Nike.

Not because of the company’s branding or marketing. Not because it’s a “leading” athletic brand. The reason is because Nike is the only athletic shoe I can get some life out of.

Over the years, I’ve tried several brands of athletic shoes. I’m a busy guy, and it seems with other brands I have them worn out in a matter of months. But not with Nike shoes. For me, Nikes usually last at least a year or more and can take the beating I give them. They’re reliable for everything I put them through, and that’s important to me.

The Apostle Paul used the illustration of shoes to talk about what is reliable for our being able to stand and take the beating life will bring our way. He wrote:

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared,” Ephesians 6:15.

In this section of scripture, Paul was using the uniform of a Roman soldier to describe the armor of God Christians have to “dress” themselves with. The shoes Roman soldiers wore were the Nike athletic shoe of the day. Not only were they a rugged sandal-type shoe, they were studded like cleats so a soldier could dig his feet into the ground for a solid stand.

There’s nothing more firm we can dig into and stand on than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The peace that comes through the Good News prepares us to face anything that may come our way in life. Unfortunately, today many offer “designer” Gospels as alternatives to stand on. But they’re cheap knock-offs of the real thing. They won’t last long, they aren’t reliable, and you’ll eventually lose your footing trying to stand in them.

Scotty