Standing Strong
August 24, 2009

“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.” – Ephesians 6:10

Christianity is a matter of balance. On the one hand, we are to rely on God’s power. On the other hand, we are to give life our 100%. On the one hand, we are to hate sin. On the other hand, we are to love the sinner.

And here is another one: On the one hand, we are to recognize our weakness and that we always stand in need of God’s grace. But on the other hand, as Ephesians 6 reminds us, we are to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, standing firm against the devil and all his minions.

I think we have perhaps allowed the pendulum to swing a bit far in the direction of the former – emphasizing to such an extent that we are in need of God’s grace to accomplish anything of worth that we aren’t teaching people to stand on their own two feet and get the job done. We are so concerned with humbly admitting our neediness that we have forgotten God’s unbelievable provision that makes us strong enough to withstand the onslaught of Satan himself.

The point is not to allow the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction, so that we forget our need and our weakness and our inadequacy. The urgency is to come back to the center point, the balance point, where we recognize our own inadequacy and our sufficiency in Christ; that we practice humility and courage; that we spend time on our knees and standing firm in the battle.

Certainly, we should never forget that in ourselves we are weak.

But don’t let that stop you from standing strong.

• Do you have a good balance in your belief system between recognizing your personal weakness and understanding your strength in Christ? Or do you emphasize one more than the other? What effect does your belief system have as it is played out in your life?
  
• Do you find it easy or hard to affirm that you personally can grow in faith so that you are strong in the Lord, able to stand firm against all the schemes of the devil? Why?
• Can you say honestly that you are strong in the Lord? If not, do you truly want to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might? Remember, it takes a life of discipline, effort, and often pain to achieve!