Be
on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
This verse is at the end of
the letter and contains 4 important commands that apply to everyone everywhere.
1-Be on the alert. We need always to be on guard. We don’t know how long we
have on this earth and we need to be ready always. Also satan prowls like a
lion to catch us. We need to be ready to fight whenever necessary. We should
never be careless, unaware, unintentional, or unrestrained. 2-Stand firm. We
need to hold to our faith without compromise. Fear or doubt should never cause
us to waiver from the truth or give in to peer pressure. We must live in a
manner worthy of the gospel always, firmly. We need to resist sin and the devil
at all costs. 3-Act like men. This is more of a “call to arms” battle cry.
Imagine Braveheart before the battle. If we really thought about the battle we
are facing, the possible trials we could endure, many of us would lose heart,
but we need to stand strong, be true, stay the course. Fear is no reason to
quit or cower. 4-Be strong. To do all of this we need strength, but we are not
strong enough on our own. We need God’s strength to get us through, otherwise
we will fail. We cannot do it on our own. In order to be ready, in order to
stand firm, in order to “act like men” we need God to help us do it. True manhood is not being completely independent and self sufficient, but being
strong in God and following His will. Only God can make us strong enough to
accomplish our tasks. We will only ever be good enough if we fully rely on Him.
He is not a crutch, He is our life support. Without Him we have and are nothing.
Which of these 4 commands do you need to work on? How can you increase your
strength in God?
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