GIRD YOUR LOINS: WITH TRUTH!

Ok, unless you watched the movie ironically called THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, you haven't heard the phrase GIRD YOU LOINS spoken out loud much outside the church. There's a reason for that. The people of today are far away from the long flowing tunics of Bible times. But back then it was all the craze. These loose fitting outfits were mainly for comfort, but, in certain circumstances, it was a menace. In these times, one would 'gird their loins' aka pull up the tunic by the hem up front and pull it back and tuck into their belt. There were other ways of doing this, but the point is they had to secure themselves to move quickly and efficiently.

The first circumstance was that of battle! In many cultures of that time, the men needed to be prepared to go to war at a moments notice. There was no real standing army in some cultures; only militia. So, when the enemy suddenly appeared and attacked, men had to go from the flowing tunic to no tunic quick. Otherwise, they would find themselves in a clumsy situation and most likely dead. The second circumstance was work! For most of the day's incidentals, the long tunic was fine, but when it was time to hunker down and get moving, the girding of the loins had to be done. This made work faster and more efficient.

The last circumstance was a long journey or race! There were no running shorts or pants. One simply had to gird the loins to run the race ahead of you. Or, if you had a journey to make, one might gird the loins to make the way quicker. The fact that the Christian life has been compared to a battle or war, work to be done and, even, a race to run, makes this example important when we look at what God has given us to do and, especially, before we begin preparations. LUKE 12:35 "Let your LOINS be GIRDED and your LIGHTS be BURNING!" (More about the lights later)

In our search for DILIGENCE we found that it all begins with preparation. So, in studying about the GIRDING OF THE LOINS (which is a basic metaphor for preparation) we find basic instructions for beginning the task God has given us to do. And we find them in the other references to GIRDING your LOINS in the Bible. 1) EPHESIANS 6:14 14 Stand firm then (also translated GIRD YOUR LOINS) , with the belt of truth buckled around your waist

Say the phrase 'Gird your Loins' and the first thing that comes to mind is Ephesians and the Armor of God! This is absolutely one of my favorite sets of scriptures ever. But it is in the explaining of the armor we are to wear into battle (once again Christian life compared to warfare) that we get the first imperative in preparation! Essential to the 'Girding of the Loins' was the belt. It was up to belt to hold up the long flowing tunic and keep one 'girded'. It was the support that held all the armor in place. So it is no surprise that many times the belt that holds it all up is compared to TRUTH! Isaiah 11:5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. Even in the Old Testament, the Prophet Isaiah referred to the belt or sash used to hold up loose clothing. The word RIGHTEOUSNESS here simply translates THE RIGHT. And FAITHFULNESS refers to the trustworthiness of God. Both allude back to TRUTH! Truth is the thing that keeps all other things in our life together and held up. And just not any truth, but THE TRUTH. This world today has a real problem with truth. From polititians to Tv personalities to our very religious leaders, we sometime don't know who to trust to tell us the TRUTH. But, fortunately, God has given us the ultimate truth in the very Word of God; our holy scriptures. But, even more powerful than that, we have the evidence that backs up that scripture in the very person of Jesus Christ and him crucified and resurrected. We have the TRUTH on which to build our lives on. We have a sure belt that will hold up all the loose ends. So, bottom line in preparing, know the TRUTH. And, to do that, it takes several things apparent in your life; prayer to the one who is the TRUTH, the WAY and the LIFE, serious Bible study and fellowship in a church that teaches the Truth! NEXT UP? GIRD YOUR LOINS....WITH COURAGE!!