Feb 22 2022

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

In this letter, Paul's final exhortation to the Corinthians, he encourages them to be strong in the faith. Today, we can take his encouragement and strive to do what he instructed them to do: stand fast, be like men, and be strong. Let's break these instructions down to get a clearer idea of what Paul was saying.

His first instruction for the Corinthians was to stand fast in the faith. In their church, there were false teachers and other people who were deceptive. The Corinthians had to be on guard to protect their beliefs. Paul wanted them to know what they believed and why they believed it so they could be discerning. This would give them the confidence to stand firm in their faith, trusting in the Lord's goodness and knowing that the Gospel was truth.

Next, Paul instructed the Corinthians to act like men, with "men" being a collective term for all Christians. He wanted them to obey God's Word with the zeal of people fighting for an important cause like soldiers defending their faith. They were not supposed to be faint or fearful as they stood for Christ and continued to serve Him in dark places. Instead, Paul assured them, they could go in faith and courage. Today, we can do the same.

Paul concluded by telling them to be strong. The meaning of this is clear enough. We should not back down or compromise our faith when it becomes difficult. So what is the path to spiritual strength? It's fairly simple, actually ... daily time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, attending a church where we can worship the Lord with other Christians, and obeying the Lord.

As simple as these steps may seem, they require strength. It takes commitment to read the Bible and pray when we are busy and to wake up early for church on Sunday morning. It takes effort and work to be holy in all the details of our lives. However, this is how we build strength. This is how we are able to grow and strengthen our spiritual muscles so we may be strong as Paul instructs us in today's verse.

Dear Lord, I thank you so much for having high expectations of me. Thank you for working in my heart and my spirit so that I can grow in my relationship with you. I love you, Lord, and I want to get closer to you every day. In Jesus' name, amen.

Feb 21 2022

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. :

In this verse, the writer of Hebrews is quoting from Psalm 118, which reminds us that the Lord is our helper and that because He is in control of everything, we needn't fear what other people might do to us. As we break down this verse, we're going to think about two specific points: the difference between God and man, and how that difference changes the way we respond to adversity.

Let's think about the differences between God and man—differences that are mind-boggling. God is perfect in every way. His moral perfections are unchanging and uncompromised. He could not possibly be any better because He is already perfect. He does not have to strive for moral perfection because He embodies moral perfection. People, on the other hand, are far from perfect. We are born into sin and cannot achieve perfection even after we have surrendered our lives to Christ. Unlike God, whom we know is good and is working out of love, we humans are often besotted with unclear and selfish motivations.

The Lord is also all-powerful. Whatever He wants, whatever He wills, whatever pleases Him, He can do without exerting any effort. There is nothing He cannot do. Humans, however, are nowhere near all-powerful. We have plenty of inabilities to control even ourselves. In terms of power, God is so far ahead of us it is inconceivable.

Everything that God does is perfect and good, and He can do anything. People, on the other hand, are not good unless we're in God and what power we do have is very limited. Obviously, the contrasts between God and man are simply overwhelming.

The writer of Hebrews knew all this about God, so he had no fear of what people might do to him. He knew they could do nothing without permission from the Lord, and even if he faced something terrible, he knew God was good and was with him. Today, we can have the same confidence in the Lord, which means we also reject any fears of what others may do to us.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your goodness and power. I am so grateful that the most powerful being that exists is also perfectly good. I do not know where I would be without your goodness, and I am so grateful that I can rest in you forever. Help me to remember who you are instead of being afraid of people and what they might do. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.


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