As the sun dropped over the horizon at the armory in Manhattan, our Troop 122 scouts, adults and visiting WEBELOS attended chapel with songs, scripture reading and messages delivered by our troop Chaplain Aides.
Our scripture selection was familiar to campers that attended last year, but the lesson was different. Paul’s letter to his people of Ephesus instructs us to put on the “full armor of God” found in Ephesians chapter 6 starting at versus 10.
After Graham shared the scripture, Mitch opened by aligning our message with what we saw at the armory: great equipment that protects our soldiers. Our soldiers are waging war against evil, and scripture explains that we are waging war against evil that we call sin. Graham and Quinn provided other examples of God-sized conflicts including the story of David & Goliath. David was a young shepherd boy that was an outcast from his family and was victorious only because God was on his team.
We may never see a Goliath, but we have many pressures and distractions that can work against our call to be reverent. We might be pressured by bad peers, be exposed to inappropriate movies and music, and see others participating in substance abuse. Risky behavior is our Goliath that works to destroy us.
David had his Goliath—we have our sinful nature that works to bring us down. David had his slingshot, and soldiers have their armor. How do we protect ourselves? How do we put on our full armor of God? Matt provided some suggestions: We can have a conversation with God through prayer and ask him to protect us. We can read God’s word in the bible and memorize scripture. We can surround ourselves with good friends that hold us accountable. We can live the scout law.
Logan challenged the group as we closed chapel. He pushed us to check our relationship with God and consider how we can bring that to the next level. Can we strengthen the armor that you are wearing into battle? He asked us to check our lives and evaluate our friendships. Finally, he challenged us to make the right decisions each day.
