Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10
Maybe before reading this you should spend a few minutes listening to a song.
The first thing Kaydance asks when she sees me for the first time in a while is, “Pick me up.” As independent as a three year old is, she wants to be held and her instincts scream at her to find a greater source of strength. Somehow Thursday night she ended up on the floor by her bed. She lay there crying although she was completely capable of getting up on her own. She wouldn’t stop crying until I picked her up and crawled into bed with her. It’s good to be stronger than someone, even if that someone is only three. It’s good to know when we fall, there’s someone to pick us up, crawl into bed with us and comfort us. It’s as true at 62 as it is at three.
We know there is a spiritual war going on around us. There is no avoiding it. When spiritual warfare is discussed, Ephesians 6:10-20 is usually the center. These verses are the instruction manual. They are meaty and need to be carefully and deliberately chewed. Don’t race over verse 10. Failure to follow it’s advice and warning is the greatest cause of failure in spiritual warfare. So before you start putting on helmets and breastplates and picking up your sword, consider your source.
That’s what verse 10 is about. The source of our strength: the Lord. Paul has been giving lots of instruction and direction. Now he comes to the bottom line: “Finally” he says, “be strong in the Lord.”
We came to Jesus in the first place because we got to the end of ourselves. If we came by any other route, we are likely not well established. I am convinced that the purpose of the problems we face in life, is to bring us to the end of ourselves. We could save ourselves a lot of heartache if we just recognized our limitations early. Yet, even having reached that point and having turned to a reliance on Christ, we keep wanting to take charge again and do things on our own. We can never forget that Satan isn’t scared of us; but he’s petrified of Our Lord.
There is only one source of strength. Be strong in the Lord. Life is warfare. Don’t wait until you’re crying by the side of your bed to turn to the only one who can hold you up and get you through.
Be weak on your own, strong in the Lord, and be blessed.
Nick
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