Worn like a jacket, the soldier’s breastplate was made from leather, along with iron or bronze. The breastplate protected the soldier’s shoulders and chest. Like the breastplate protects one’s most vital organs, God’s righteousness lived out protects believers from false accusations and attack.
Recently, my family completed an addition to the back of our 100-year-old craftsman home. Construction noise and thin layers of sawdust became a constant in our lives. Our backyard, once a play area full of grass and soft clover, became a mudscape of rocks and tire tracks, full of scattered water bottles and sharp nails, surrounded by a rotting fence that threatened to fall in. After nine months of neglect, the farthest corners of the yard had grown waist-high weeds, so tangled I couldn’t even dig them out with a shovel. The new addition to the house shined with brand new paint and custom glass. But our yard was a wreck.
Then, our contractor brought in a small tractor to clear and grade the construction site. The process took just a few hours. Under the weight of the tractor tires and with the help of a digger, the yard became a clean, flat dirt canvas again.
Occasionally, I can believe that Jesus’s work on the cross is like that tractor equipment. By his wounds, our lives are salvaged and prepared, once more, as fertile ground. But Scripture is quite clear that while Jesus did save us from our sins, he didn’t only save us from our sins. That would be the equivalent of clearing a construction site, and then washing your hands and saying, “Good luck making this beautiful!”
Christ doesn’t just wipe away the old; He fills the garden with abundant new life—His life! His righteousness, so that I stand, rich and full in the presence of God.
The breastplate of righteousness protects me from the accuser’s voice who would tell me that I am no good, that I have done nothing to fill up my life or serve God. The breastplate of righteousness assures me that I can now stand clothed in everything Jesus accomplished.
We didn’t leave our mud pit of a backyard as level ground for long. A skilled landscaper came in, filling the empty space with tender grass, flowering plants, blue paving stones, and string lights, all perfectly designed for our use. And to think, the Lord does the same for the wasteland of my soul. He fills all our empty spaces with the fullness of the Son. Thanks be to God!
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74 thoughts on "The Breastplate of Righteousness"
He fills our empty spaces with the fullness of the son.
He protects us from the accusers that say “I am not enough.”
Thank you Jesus for your goodness filling me up!❤️
Changed my whole perspective and my worth. Thanks be to God!
Wow! What a beautiful visual! I will remember this for a long time. Lord landscape my soul! ♥️
This is an amazing book to read tonight for me. It hones in on thing I myself as well as I’m sure a lot of us reading our facing in these trying times. It reminds me to stay strong and remember that God and Jesus alike have my back!
Such a beautiful reminder this morning!
The breastplate of righteousness protects me from anyone who will tell me I am
The breastplate of righteousness protects from the voice of the accuser who would tell me I’m no good.
Love the imagery. Lord hear my prayers.
Very dismaying to see the state of the thrashed messy wasteland, or maybe even the flattened empty dirt – as you wonder how it was or could have been.
“Christ doesn’t just wipe away the old; He FILLS the garden with abundant new life—His life! His righteousness, so that I stand, RICH and FULL in the presence of God.”
He fills and heals the wasteland of my soul with the fullness of His Son. Amen, Lord, may it be so!
I love the analogy of the backyard! It is such a beautiful thing that God washes away our sin and then adorns us with his Holy Spirit to go forward.
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Amen
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Great imagery !
Amen
Congratulations! May the Lord bless your journey!
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it is so reassuring knowing that despite my shortcomings and failures, Christ sees me and continues to pour Himself into me. That i did nothing to deserve the kindness of our Creator, yet he continually extends it to me. I am just so taken aback when acknowledging that very truth. I find myself so unworthy, yet he sees me as worthy – and not just worthy in the worlds definition, but worthy in His eyes. to think of that, how could i not dedicate my every moment to living by and through him.
Thought this message was very fitting for me today! Throughout the college process and the uncertainty I felt about deciding where to attend next year, I felt lost. I was forced to bring those worries to God and he showed me where he wants me to be. Although this school was not really on my radar and was not my first choice in the beginning, I AM VERY EXCITED TO BE COMMITING TO UVA NEXT YEAR! Thank you God for showing me where you want me to be and I am so glad to be a part of the SRT community as these readings have been a very important and valuable part of my day.
No better encouragement than knowing God has made us righteous, whole, new in having FAITH in our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. This has been a beautiful blessing of a study!
The breastplate of righteousness guards my heart. Protecting me from the accuser’s lies. When I picture myself in a robe of righteousness, as God sees me, my perspective changes. Rather than falling prey to his schemes, I value myself as God does. I am His blood-bought daughter who has been forgiven. My slate is wiped clean.
I did the same thing today! Love Webster’s 1828!!
What a beautiful picture your words paint of the amazing work of righteousness
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Grammie Sue, so thankful you were encouraged.
Amazing devotion today. Like many of you I also love the garden analogy. To anyone who loves gardening, it is backbreaking work to maintain a gorgeous garden. And the clean soil to start with is most important. The soil will bring forth any and everything in it. Weeding, protecting from harmful insects, hails, pruning, watering, fertilizing is a daily process to keep a garden healthy and beautiful. Praise God for turning us into beautiful gardens reflecting His glory and His fragrance in the midst of the world wasteland. Glory to Him forever.
It’s hard to think of myself as righteous because I still sin. As I was praying, God reminded me that he take even my sin and turn it into something good. If I repent of my sin and turn towards him. ❤️
Every time I read the Isaiah passage the more I learn and love it. Thank you for the devotional.
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Today’s devotion was amazing. I love the Messiah’s Jubilee and I can’t believe I’ve never read it before. It is beautiful. Filled with so much hope, but also amazed at how loved we are by our Savior. I love that she said he didn’t just die for our sins! He didn’t just wipe away the old, he fills us with abundant life. His life! Praying for all your requests today. @Helen I pray you know you are more than good enough for our Savior. He loves you so much! @Grammiesue so glad the appointment went well and you guys came out of it with hope ❤️
Praying that this study shows you that you ARE good enough and how much Jesus loves you ❤️
I’m loving this study so far – it’s helped me to understand the Armor of God much more clearly! Thank you Claire for the clearing and gardening analogy today.
CAITLYN – love the image of us bringing Jesus plants we feel belong there, but listening to Him as the Gardener for the final say of whether it belongs.
DOROTHY – praying for you and Finley’s family
GRAMSIESUE – praying for you and your husband Steve
HELEN HAFFNER – praying you will continue to believe God’s Truth, you ARE good enough no matter what anyone says :)
RHONDA J. – Wow, that’s super cool to meet a fellow She (TRACI GENDRON) in person! Blessings for your coffee meeting!
MARIAM – praying for your health journey as you entrust it to God, may you have a full recovery
Praying for TAYLOR, ALLY and others struggling with anxiety – I have found tapping (EFT) can help, sometimes I incorporate tapping with prayer which makes it more powerful.
Thank you all for the prayers with my hives and my husband’s mystery bites. I know what I need to do on my end, and I’m still puzzled with my husband’s side but we will be cleaning our bedroom soon and hopefully that will help. Have a blessed weekend sisters!
Try going to your account and hitting “restore purchases “
Christ doesn’t just wipe away the old; He fills the
garden with abundant new life-His life! His
righteousness, so that I stand, rich and full in the
presence of God.
The breastplate of righteousness protects me
from the accuser’s voice who would tell me that I
am no good, that I have done nothing to fill up
my life or serve God. The breastplate of
righteousness assures me that I can now stand
clothed in everything Jesus accomplished.
I love the picturing sanctification as Jesus wiping the slate and then coming into the garden of my life and slowly filling it with new plants. Weeding as we go, tending to the parts of my life that need extra care, certain of what plants will thrive and what doesn’t need to be there. Even to extend the metaphor, I imagine myself often bringing plants to Jesus that seem like a good idea to me, but trusting his wisdom when he says it doesn’t belong. What a sweet image! Also, in case nobody has mentioned Heady to Toe (the armor of God song) by Christy Nockels, it’s one of my favorites!
You are loved and treasured for who you are by the Lord. Put your armor on and keep moving forward.
Loved the devotional today. Great message.
Sisters please pray for me, I’m going to tell Finley’s family today I’m going to cut back my hours with them. I’m coming home mentally stressed many nights because Finley’s mom doesn’t feel I’m doing something right or I’m too slow at what I do or I’m not listening. I do listen but at times I’m not sure if she’s talking to me or her husband because she doesn’t always specify so I don’t answer. My nerves can’t handle it any longer.
Sisters be blessed and always talk to God about what you need.
To Kelly (NEO) and others who have been praying: Steve and I and one of our daughters met with Dr Jim Roach in Midway, KY yesterday. My brain is a bit overwhelmed with all the information he shared with us (spent 3 hrs talking with us). He has offered us so much hope for overcoming this beastly cancer in Steve’s brain. He is putting Steve on Artemis Plus protocol…basically some super supplements that will aggressively fight the cancer and hopefully prevent any recurrence of the tumor. He has Steve on about 20 additional supplements that will help his body heal itself as well. His nutritionist met with us to help us understand the Keto diet and how bad sugar is (feeds tumors). Then his prayer warrior came in and prayed over us. We came out of there feeling encouraged and touched. So we will choose a natural path to healing rather than the toxic chemo that Western medicine uses. And trust God for complete healing. Blessings to my sisters in Christ. ❤️❤️
I appreciate the analogy of the backyard as well. I am so thankful for all of you and your loving hearts, compassion, prayers, and encouragement for each other. Blessings to each of you! ❤️
Anyone else having issues with the Lockscreens on the app this morning? They won’t download for me.
Thank you for sharing your heart! ❤️
So cool, thanks for sharing this!
Hallelujah! This is good news that we can rest while God fights our battles.
Reading the Lenten study of Ezekiel before this, the many ways the Israelites continually moved away, turned away, and sometimes completely rejected their part of the covenant with God is fresh in my mind. Of course, even Ezekiel ends with HOPE and setting our eyes on the Messiah, and then on to his New Covenant reign on earth. Isaiah’s reading today lit that HOPE on fire, and makes me excited and almost uncomprehendingly humble, and in that incomprehension there is part of me that wonders HOW? How are we not going to make the same mistake again in the New Creation? I know in my head what the Bible says regarding the complete work on the cross and in the resurrection, but today it all seems SO big, SO amazing, SO hard to conceptualize. How can he love me, who fails daily to live righteously, enough to not see that anymore. I am a new creation, but I live in the old ways more than I like to admit. It’s just too much to think about sometimes, especially with the Romans 3:23 reminder, and then I struggle just accepting it. It’s a lot to sit in today. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I feel “surrounded” with questioning….even being a believer for over 3 decades. Every morning I open my Bible and let the words of Paul, of the Spirit, wash over me for protection against the true Enemy I must make him seethe – good! It’s this kind of meditation on the Word, the work done for me by Jesus that makes me WANT, NEED, to share this news! Others must know that they don’t have to sit in the shame and guilt of those lies! I don’t know how fully, but I do believe fully: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you FREE from the law of sin and death.” (*mic drop?).
Thank you Jennifer Loves Jesus.
Just starting with this Bible study and going through a very rough time. Have been told I am not good enough by someone very close for so long that I was believing it. This makes so much sense to me.
*enemy. Praise the Lord! ❤️
The breastplate of righteousness helps deflect the “arrows” aimed at us by the
Righteousness. That word is sometimes a juxtaposition! We want to be righteous, yet sometimes I can be overly righteous! I think I am doing way better than that person, or someone needs to be more like Me in MY walk with the Lord! No, I was that person, we all were, and all are. We are all the same in our Savior’s eye, a sinner. Is it called indignant righteousness?
I am so glad my Saviour calls us out of sin and loves us so much. He gives us an unmeasurable amount of forgiveness as He sanctifies us and protects us with His breast of armor. It protects our heart, the most vital part of us, and the surrounding organs to keep us thriving and to grow a love for others that are in dire need of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have a great day! I am SO excited to be meeting OUR sister Traci Gendron today for coffee!! How neat is that?! We are truly a family here on SRT!
Thank you Claire for your message this morning. The line ….the Lord does the same for the wasteland of my soul, spoke to me this morning. May He fill that wasteland and may I share its bounty with others. May we wear “our armor” this weekend and show others whose we are. Blessings.
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I am so glad that God is the landscape architect of my life!
This study has really touched close to my heart the last week. Since beginning of lent, I have dealt with ongoing health issues and the doctors said it will take time to recover. During this period of life, I really felt like I have failed at trusting God in the process of healing. I am working on leaning more on God and letting Him fight my battles. If all the prayer warriors can say a prayer to a quick recovery, I would appreciate it dearly.
God is our justifier. Isaiah 61 was the scroll Jesus read from in Luke showing Himself as the messianic Servant announcing the good news of salvation. Fun fact: The Isaiah Scroll found at Qumran was over 7 meters long. This shows that Jesus was deliberate in selecting this passage on that Sabbath day when He read it in the synagog. It would have taken Him some time to unroll it since chapter 61 is almost to the end. Jesus truly is the Holy Son of God. He truly came to cover ALL of our sins. We are the righteousness of God through our faith in Christ. So if this is true (and it is), then we can come out from under our shame and guilt. Whatever we have done, whomever we have hurt, whatever dark things can’t be spoken of can be spoken in the Light of Jesus. We can be free. And in that freedom we can work with God in a passionate pursuit to help free others. No affliction is too much, no sickness too heavy, no betrayal or loss too great for Jesus to carry for us. His burden is light and free. Give it to Him. Let righteousness and praise come up from the ground to bloom and bring forth all the zeal and powerful joy. It comes. And will keep coming if we trust Him. Until He comes again. Maranatha.
I looked up “righteousness” in Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary and found this: “purity of heart and rectitude (moral integrity) of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law.” Amen!!
@Ally M thank you for your prayer for both of us with anxiety yesterday <3 Praying for you today and others who struggle with anxiety! My goal is to finally call a Christian counselor soon to start to work through my anxiety with a professional.
I am thankful that when God sees me He sees Jesus – not myself. I also loved the part about the breastplate of righteousness protecting us from the enemy’s lies that we’re not good enough/worthy enough etc. I pray that I can live out of the abundant life that God has offered me through Jesus’ sacrifice and share His love with the world. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
I love the imagery of the back yard. While Christ made a beautiful new garden, I know I am responsible for tending to it. Planting new seed each time I tell someone of the great things he has done not just for me but for them as well… watering the garden each time I open the pages of his word. I’m going to work to keep this in the forefront of my mind this week and I hope, always.
The devotional is good today. The picture of the yard is a great visual for me.
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I love the writer’s, Claire’s, analogy of the tractor clearing her yard to what Jesus’ blood does for us! He cleared the way for us! We didn’t stand a chance, but by His blood, we do! It is up to us, through Him, what we do with that ‘fertile land.
Such beautiful truth in these words! And thank you HEIDI for your comment yesterday- it encouraged me! :)
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Put on the whole armor of God
The reading in Isaiah reminds me that even though we are given Gods righteousness freely, we still have a responsibility to share it with the world. We are to bring good news, heal, proclaim, comfort, and provide. All of this exemplifies His righteousness in us and brings others to their knees in belief where God is waiting for them with open arms to forgive.
From HRT, “As believers fighting faithfully in a spiritual war, we are to join God in pursuing righteousness in the world. . . We have been made righteous and are ministers of righteousness. May that guard our hearts against doubt and guide our feet in confident proclamation of the. . . grace available to all who believe.”
MARIA BAER – how did your appt go about your liver?
ASH H – thanks for the update on Milo. Will continue to pray for the little guy.
ANGIE, JENNIFER BARKLEY, GRAMSIESUE & LYNNE FROM AL – how are your husbands?
So many wise and impactful comments yesterday! KRISTIN M, CHURCHMOUSE, HEIDI, JANE K and others. Your insights highlight some of the many angles we need to keep in mind. I’m not a journal writer but will be pulling together the wisdom shared in this study in some fashion to refer to regularly.
One more thought on yesterday’s Scriptures and the “did God really say” questions. A cliff came to mind, and also a firm line of demarcation between good (God) and evil. Shouldn’t we get as far away from the edge of the cliff as possible? Shouldn’t we stay as far away from evil as we possibly can? The evil one tempts us by luring us to the edge and enticing us to look just a little more closely, or works to convince us that a gray area exists on the God side of the line. Lord, may my (our) eyes be opened to see the lies, to recognize and stay away from the cliff’s edge and to get as far away from evil as I can rather than trying to get as close as possible without stepping over the line. Draw me closer to you, Lord.
ASH – praying for Milo
SUSAN L – praying for your daughters
LAURA – thankful for the vote against that club. I’ve been called naive and there’s some truth in that but the evil in this world still shocks me, and that people embrace its destructiveness.
MUNCHKIN – praying for you!
Oh I love the example of the backyard, perfect having just mourned on Good Friday and rejoiced on Easter morning!
*sinking
“He fills all our empty spaces with the fullness of the Son”
This is seeking in deep. Amen and Amen. Thanks be to God!!